,  fti  the  Meoloffiai/ 

PRINCETON,  N.  J. 

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LIFE  IN  ANCIENT 
EGYPT  AND  ASSYRIA 


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https://archive.org/details/lifeinancientegy00rnasp_0 


LIFE  IN  ANCIENT 
EGYPT  AND  ASSYRIA 


FROM  THE  FRENCH  OF 

G.  'MASPERO 


WITH  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  EIGHTY-EIGHT 
ILL  USTRA  HONS 


NEW  YORK 

D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 
1892 


Authorized  Edition. 


PREFACE. 


This  will  not  be  an  unbroken  bistory  of  the  ancient 
Oriental  dynasties  and  nations  :  the  order  of  events, 
the  lines  of  the  kings,  the  movements  and  invasions  of 
the  peoples  may  be  found  fully  related  in  my  Ancient 
History,  or  in  its  abridged  edition  by  Tan  den  Berg. 
I  only  wish  to  give  the  readers  of  this  book  some 
impression  of  life  under  its  various  phases  amongst 
the  two  most  civilised  nations  which  flourished  upon 
our  earth  before  the  Greeks.  I  have  chosen  for  each 
of  them  the  epoch  we  know  the  best,  and  of  which 
we  possess  the  greatest  number  of  monuments  : 
for  Egypt,  that  of  Baineses  II.  (fourteenth  century 
B.c.) ;  for  Assyria,  that  of  Assurbanipal  (seventh  cen¬ 
tury).  I  have  acted  like  those  conscientious  travellers 
who  do  not  like  to  enter  a  new  country  without  some 
preparation,  who  study  its  customs  and  language  before 
they  start ;  then  I  journeyed — or  at  least  I  believed  so 
— two  or  three  thousand  j^ears  back,  away  from  our 
present  era.  Once  there,  I  looked  round  and  endea¬ 
voured  to  see  as  well  and  as  much  as  possible.  I 
walked  through  the  streets  of  the  city,  glanced  through 
the  half-opened  doors,  peered  into  the  shops,  noted 
down  the  remarks  of  the  populace  that  I  chanced  to 


VI 


PREFACE. 


overhear.  Some  famished  masons  went  on  strike :  I 
followed  them  to  the  house  of  the  Count  of  Thebes  to 
see  what  happened.  A  funeral  passed  with  a  great 
clamour :  I  accompanied  the  dead  man  to  his  tomb, 
and  learnt  the  chances  of  life  granted  to  him  in  the 
other  world.  A  marriage  was  being  celebrated :  I 
took  advantage  of  the  facility  with  which  Orientals 
open  their  houses  upon  festival  days  to  be  present,  at  a 
distance,  during  the  reading  of  the  contract.  When 
Pharaoh  or  the  King  of  Nineveh  passed  by,  I  joined 
the  loungers  that  followed  him  to  the  temple,  the 
palace,  or  the  hunting- field  ;  where  custom  and 
etiquette  prevented  me  from  entering,  I  penetrated  in 
the  spirit  by  conversations  or  by  the  texts.  I  have 
read  upon  a  clay  cylinder  the  prayer  which  Assur- 
banipal  addressed  to  Ishtar  in  an  hour  of  anguish  ;  an 
important  and  loquacious  scribe  has  related  to  me  the 
travels  of  an  Egyptian  soldier  in  Syria ;  twenty  bas- 
reliefs  have  enabled  me  to  be  present,  without  personal 
dangei',  at  the  wars  of  the  ancient  world ;  at  the 
recruitment  of  its  armies,  at  their  marches,  their  evolu¬ 
tions  ;  have  shown  me  by  what  energetic  efforts 
Pameses  II.  triumphed  over  the  Khita,  and  how 
an  Assyrian  general  prepared  to  attack  a  city. 

I  have  reproduced  in  Assyria  the  majority  of  the 
scenes  described  in  Egypt ;  the  reader,  by  comparing 
them  together,  will  easily  realise  upon  what  points 
the  civilisations  of  the  two  countries  were  alike,  and  in 
what  respects  they  differed.  The  illustrations  which 
accompany  the  text  render  this  difference  visible  to  all 
eyes.  There  are  a  great  many  of  them,  but  I  would 
have  added  to  their  number  if  I  could.  Our  scholars, 
and  even  their  professors,  are  sometimes  much  em- 


PREFACE. 


Vll 


barrassed  when  they  wish  to  picture  to  themselves  one 
of  these  ancient  men  whose  history  we  are  relating, 
how  he  dressed,  what  he  ate,  the  trades  and  arts  which 
he  practised.  These  drawings  by  M.  Faucher-Gudin 
will  teach  them  more  on  these  points  than  any  long 
description.  They  have  been  executed  with  remarkable 
fidelity ;  it  is  the  Egyptian  and  the  Assyrian  himself 
that  they  show  us,  and  not  those  caricatures  of  Egyptians 
and  Assyrians  which  are  too  often  seen  in  our  books. 


G.  Maspero. 


CONTENTS 


EGYPT. 


CHAP. 

PAGE 

i. 

THEBES  AND  THE  POPULAR  LIFE  . 

1 

ii. 

THE  MARKET  AND  THE  SHOPS 

17 

hi. 

PHARAOH  ..... 

37 

IV. 

AMEN,  THE  GREAT  GOD  OF  THEBES 

55 

V. 

THE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY 

75 

VI. 

LIFE  IN  THE  CASTLE  . 

93 

VII. 

ILLNESS  AND  DEATH  . 

.  113 

VIII. 

THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  TOMB 

.  133 

IX. 

THE  JOURNEY  .... 

.  153 

X. 

THE  BATTLE  .... 

.  172 

ASSYRIA. 

XI.  A  ROYAL  RESIDENCE  :  DUR-SARGINU  .  .  194 

XII.  PRIVATE  LIFE  OF  AX  ASSYRIAN  .  .  .215 

XIII.  DEATH  AND  THE  FUNERAL  .  .  .  .233 

XIY.  THE  ROYAL  CHASE  .....  252 

XV.  THET  ROYAL  AUDIENCE  :  PREPARING  FOR  WAR  271 
xyi.  assurbanipal’s  LIBRARY  ....  287 

XVII.  THE  SCIENCE  OF  PRESAGES  .  .  .  .303 

XVIII.  THE  WAR  .......  318 

XIX.  THE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY  .  .  337 

XX.  THE  TRIUMPH  ......  359 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

The  Pool  of  Luxor  .  . 2 

Brick-making  ..........  3 

Man  of  the  People . 6 

A  Bastinado  8 

A  Woman  of  the  People  ........  II 

Sandal  ...........  12 

Collar . 12 

A  Little  Boy  ..........  14 

A  Young  Girl  ...  ......  15 

A  Necklet  for  some  Onions .  .  .....  18 

Some  Perfume  for  a  Necklet . 19 

Sale  of  Perfumes — sale  of  Fish  .......  19 

The  Fish-hooks  and  the  purchase  of  a  Necklet  ....  20 

Weighing  the  Outnou . 21 

The  Pastrycook  at  Work . 23 

The  Cookshop  ..........  24 

The  Cook  roasts  a  Goose . 24 

One  of  the  Customers  in  the  Cookshop  ....  25 

The  Barber  and  his  Customer  .......  25 

A  Shoemaker’s  Workshop .  26 

The  Goldsmith  at  his  Crucible . 27 

The  Carpenter  making  Chairs  .......  27 

The  Carpenter’s  Adze  .........  28 

Women  at  a  Loom . .29 

An  Egyptian  Citizen . 32 

The  House  of  Psarou,  seen  from  the  Street  .  .  .  .35 

Pharaoh  ...........  38 

The  names  of  Rameses  II.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .42 

Amenophis  III.  and  his  Double  .......  43 

The  Great  Sphinx  buried  in  the  Sand  .....  51 

Pharaoh  (Amenophis  IV.)  and  his  Escort . 53 

The  Queen  in  her  Chariot  behind  Pharaoh  ....  54 

Entrance  to  the  Hypostyle  Hall  of  the  Temple  of  Amen  at  Karnak  57 


Xll  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

The  Koval  Throne  ....... 

59 

The  Granaries  :  Registering  and  Storing  the  Grain  . 

Cl 

The  Ark  of  Amen,  borne  by  his  Priests 

64 

Offering  Red  Water  to  the  god  Amen  .... 

67 

Toe  King  lassoes  the  Sacrificial  Bull  .... 

69 

The  Priests  throw  down  the  Bull  after  the  King  has  lassoed  it 

70 

The  King  gives  the  Death  Signal  .... 

70 

Cutting  up  the  Victim  ...... 

71 

The  Priests  bring  the  pieces  of  the  Victim  . 

71 

Before  the  Scribes  ....... 

80 

The  Manufacture  of  the  Chariots  .... 

82 

The  Wrestling  Match . 

83 

Distribution  of  Weapons  to  the  Recruits 

84 

Royal  Cuirass  ........ 

84 

Shield  ......... 

84 

War-dance  of  the  Archers  ...... 

85 

The  Light  Troops  Marching  Past  .... 

86 

The  Line  Infantry  Marching  Past  .... 

86 

Saluting  the  Prince . 

86 

The  Soldiers  fetching  their  Rations  for  the  Campaign 

87 

A  Shairetaua  of  the  Guard . 

88 

The  Cattle  crossiug  the  Ford  ..... 

94 

An  Egyptian  Villa . 

95 

A  Vine  :  gathering  the  Fruit  ..... 

97 

Pressing  the  Grapes  ....... 

98 

The  Balance  for  drawing  Water  :  the  Shadouf  . 

99 

Fishing  with  a  Double  Harpoon  ..... 

101 

Fowling  with  a  Boomerang  upon  the  Pond . 

102 

Fishing  with  Nets . 

103 

Fowling  with  a  Net . 

104 

Preserving  the  Game  in  Salt  ..... 

105 

The  Valley  of  Apu . 

107 

Hunting  in  the  Desert . 

109 

The  Monsters  that  live  in  the  Desert  .... 

110 

A  Pillow . 

112 

The  god  Bisou . 

112 

The  King  (Amenophis  IV.)  and  his  Family  throwing 

Golden 

Collars  to  the  People . 

115 

Postures  of  Adoration  before  Pharaoh 

117 

The  Scribe  registering  the  Golden  Collars  . 

117 

Slaves  bearing  the  Jars  of  Wine  .... 

117 

Psarou  congratulated  by  his  Family  .... 

118 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS.  X1U 

PAGE 

Anubis  and  the  Mummy  of  Osiris . 125 

A  Mummy’s  Head  in  the  Coffin . 127 

A  Mummy’s  Head:  the  King  Seti  I.,  from  a  Photograph  taken 

from  the  Corpse  preserved  in  the  Museum  at  Boulak  .  129 

Wrapping  up  the  Mummy  .......  130 

The  Master  of  the  Ceremonies  reciting  Prayers  during  the 

Swathing  of  the  Mummy . 131 

The  Mummy  finished  ........  132 

The  Funeral  Procession  :  Slaves  bearing  Offerings  .  .  .  136 

,,  ,,  Carriage  and  passage  of  the  Chariots  136 

,,  ,,  The  Furniture  .....  137 

,,  „  The  Weapons  and  Jewels .  .  .  137 

,,  „  The  Mourners  and  the  Priests  .  .  138 

„  „  The  Catafalque  followed  by  the  friends  138 

,,  ,,  The  Mourners’  Bark  .  .  .  110 

,,  ,,  The  Bark  of  the  Dead  .  .  .  Ill 

„  „  The  Friends’  Boat  striking  the  Sloop  113 

The  Funeral :  the  Farewells  before  the  Door  of  the  Hypogeum  115 

The  Dance  of  the  Almahs . 118 

The  Harpist  ..........  119 

The  Sycamore  of  Nut  ........  151 

The  Judgment  of  the  Soul  at  the  Tribunal  of  Osiris.  .  .  152 

A  Syrian  Fortress  .........  151 

The  Tyrian  Ladders  ........  161 

A  Phoenician  ..........  161 

A  Syrian  from  the  North  ........  165 

An  Egyptian  Ship,  Sailing  and  Rowing  .....  166 

The  Egyptian  Camp  before  Kadesh  ......  173 

The  Guard  at  the  Gate . 171 

Scenes  in  the  Egyptian  Camp  .......  175 

The  Spies  are  beaten . 178 

Rannses  holds  a  Council  of  War  ......  179 

Rameses  II.  in  his  Chariot  .......  180 

Tue  Legion  of  Ptah  enteiiog  the  Field  .  .  .  .  '  .  182 

The  City  of  Kadesh . 185 

Collision  of  the  Chaiiots  ........  187 

Registry  of  Hands  cut  from  the  Prisoners  .  .  .189 

Rameses  II.,  from  a  photograph  of  the  Corpse ....  192 

The  Royal  Sacrifice . .  197 

One  of  the  Gates  of  Dur-Sarginu . 198 

Transport  of  the  Bull  . . 199 

A  Winged  Bull . 200 


xiv  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

Assyrian  Houses . 201 

The  Eoyal  Palace  of  Dur-Sarginu  (from  Perrot  and  Chipiez)  .  203 

Triumphal  Gate  at  the  Entrance  to  the  Palace  (from  Place)  .  204 

One  of  the  Gates  of  the  Harem  at  Dur-Sarginu  (from  Place)  .  206 

A  Bedroom  in  the  Harem  at  Dur-Sarginu  ....  208 

The  King’s  Rolling  Throne  carried  by  two  men  .  .  .  209 

The  Tower  of  the  Seven  Planets  at  Dur-Sarginu  (after  Place)  .  213 

A  Slave  kneading  Dough  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .217 

The  South-west  Wind  :  a  bronze  statuette  ....  219 

A  Scribe,  from  the  figure  restored  by  M.  Heuzey,  in  the  Exhi¬ 
bition  of  1889  223 

Assyrian  Cylinders  .........  226 

Death  and  Hell . 243 

Chaldean  Coffin  in  Baked  Earth  ......  244 

Round  Chaldean  Tomb  ........  245 

Interior  of  a  Chaldean  Tomb  .......  246 

Hunting  the  Wild  Ass  ........  255 

Assurbanipal  and  his  Suite . 255 

The  King  crosses  the  Stream  in  a  Boat,  the  Horses  swim  behind  256 
Foot  Soldiers  blowing  out  their  Swimming  Skius  .  .  .  257 
Crossing  the  River  upon  the  Swollen  Skins  ....  257 

The  Royal  Tent  .........  258 

The  Royal  Stable  258 

The  King  kills  the  Auroch  with  his  Poignard  ....  260 

The  King  giving  thanks  to  the  goddess  Ishtar  for  his  sport  .  261 

The  Dog  used  for  hunting  the  Lions . 264 

The  King  shoots  an  Arrow  at  the  Lion  whilst  in  full  gallop  .  265 

Death  of  the  Lioness  ........  265 

The  Wounded  Lion  .........  266 

The  King  kills  the  Lion  with  his  Lance  .....  266 

The  Lion  attacks  the  Royal  Boat  ......  267 

The  Lion  taken  back  to  the  Camp  ......  268 

The  Lion  leaving  its  Cage  .......  269 

Fragment  of  an  Assyrian  Embroidery,  from  a  bas-relief  repro¬ 
duced  by  Layard  ........  273 

The  King’s  Necklet  .........  275 

An  Assyrian  Sword  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .276 

The  King  in  his  State  Costume  ......  276 

The  King  upon  his  Throne  .......  277 

An  Elamite  Nobleman  ........  279 

Gistubar  Strangling  a  Lion  in  his  Arms  .....  302 

An  Assyrian  Standard  ........  323 

Assyrian  Cavahy  charging  .......  324 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS.  XV 

PAGE 

The  Assyrian  Cavalry  fighting  in  a  Mountainous  Country  .  325 

Elamite  War-chariot  ........  326 

Elamite  Archers  . . 327 

The  City  of  Susa  .........  327 

The  remnant  of  the  Elamite  Army  thrown  into  the  River  .  329 

Death  of  Teumman . .  331 

Reception  and  Registration  of  the  Heads  .....  332 

Teumman’s  Head  carried  through  the  Assyrian  Camp  .  .  333 

The  Elamitt  Musicians  marching  to  meet  the  Assyrians  .  .  334 

The  Assyrian  General  presents  Ummanigas  to  the  Elamites  .  335 

Prisoners  going  to  Assyria . 336 

A  Phoenician  Galley  ........  340 

Hea,  the  Fish-god . 343 

An  Encounter  between  the  Assyrians  and  the  Inhabitants  of  the 

Marshes  ..........  344 

A  Family  of  the  Chaldeans  taking  Shelter  in  the  Reeds  .  .  345 

The  Towers  with  their  extra  Defences  .....  348 

Prisoners  impaled  by  the  Assyrians  ......  349" 

Entrenched  Camp  of  the  Assyrians  . . 350 

Three  Tents  in  an  Assyrian  Camp  ......  350 

The  Assyrian  Slingers . 351 

The  Archers  behind  their  Buckleis . 352 

The  Siege  of  a  Cily . 352 

The  Battering  Rams  opening  the  Breach  in  the  Wall  .  .  355 

Scenes  from  a  Siege  ........  356 

The  Assyrians  felling  Trees  in  an  Enemy’s  Country  .  .  357 

A  Griffon  in  the  Egyptian  style  ......  362 

The  Horses  being  led  past . .  363 

A  Camel  and  his  Drivers . ,  363 

A  Prisoner  being  flayed  alive  .......  367 

The  King’s  Guests  at  Table . 369 

Slaves  bringing  Fruit . 370 

Slaves  bringing  Wine,  Cakes,  and  Fruit . 371 

The  Cup-bearers  taking  the  Wine  from  the  Large  Bowl  .  .  371 

The  Sentinels,  Cup  in  hand  .......  372 

Assurbanipal  drinking  with  the  Queen  in  the  Gardens  of  the 
Harem 


373 


LIFE  IN  ANCIENT 
EGYPT  AND  ASSYRIA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THEBES  AND  THE  POPULAR  LIFE, 

The  suburbs — The  mud  houses — Brick-making  and  the  construction 
of  houses  —  The  furniture  of  the  poor— Thieves  and  the  urban 
police  —  The  family:  the  man  and  the  handicrafts  —  The  scribe 
and  his  chances  of  fortune — The  administrative  formulas  —  The 
woman  and  her  household:  water,  bread,  fuel — The  children  at 
home  and  at  school :  them  respect  for  the  mother. 

Those  parts  of  Thebes  which  extend  over  the  hanks 
of  the  Nile  between  Luxor  and  Karnak  present  the 
dull,  sordid  aspect  which,  as  a  rule,  belongs  to  the 
suburbs  of  a  great  city.  They  are  not  regularly  formed 
districts,  so  much  as  a  collection  of  grey  huts,  joined, 
together  at  every  imaginable  angle.  Narrow,  crooked 
paths  wind  amongst  them,  as  though  left  there  by 
chance,  broken  at  intervals,  by  a  muddy  pool,  from 
which  the  cattle  drink  and  the  women  draw  water 
(Fig.  1) ;  by  an  irregular  square  shaded  by  acacias  or 
sycamores ;  by  a  piece  of  waste  land  encumbered  by 
filth,  for  which  the  dogs  of  the  neighbourhood  dispute 
with,  hawks  and  vultures.  Most  of  the  houses  are 
miserably  built  of  earth  or  unbaked  bricks,  covered 
with  a  layer  of  mud.  The  poorest  of  them  consist  of  a 
2 


2 


THEBES  AND  THE  POPULAR  LIFE. 


simple  square  cell,  sometimes  of  two  little  rooms  open¬ 
ing  directly  into  each  other,  or  separated  by  a  small 
court.  They  are  covered  by  a  thin  roof  of  palm-leaves 
placed  side  by  side,  which  is  so  low  that  a  man  of 
medium  height,  rising  incautiously,  would  pierce  it  with 
a  blow  from  his  head.  The  richer  inhabitants  have  a 
solidly  built  ground-floor,  surmounted  by  a  terrace  and 
two  or  three  rooms,  reached  by  a  -staircase  placed 
against  the  wall  of  the  court.  The  small,  dark  rooms 
below  are  used  as  stables  for  tbe  cattle,  sleeping-rooms 
for  the  slaves,  and  storerooms  for  the  clothes  and 


Fig.  1. — The  Pool  of  Luxor. 

household  provisions ;  the  family  live  in  the  upper 
story.  The  roofs  and  floors  are  made  of  the  trunks 
of  palm-trees,  simply  split  in  two  lengthwise  and  laid 
side  by  side,  a  bed  of  beaten  earth  being  then  spread 
over  them. 

Rain  is  rare  in  Upper  Egypt,  but  once  or  twice  in 
a  century  the  heaven  opens  its  cataracts,  and  absolute 
waterspouts  pour  for  eight  or  ten  hours  upon  the 
plain  of  Thebes.  Tbe  slightly  thatched  roofs  are 
perforated  and  broken  in  a  few  minutes,  tbe  terraces 
give  way  and  fall  into  tbe  lower  story,  the  walls 
become  diluted  and  flow  away  in  muddy  rivulets ; 


THEBES  AND  THE  POPULAR  LIFE. 


3 


where  populous  districts  were  seen  in  the  morning, 
uneven  heaps  of  black  paste  are  found  in  the  evening, 
with  broken  beams  and  pieces  of  half -melted  walls 
projecting  here  and  there  from  the  mud.  Elsewhere 
such  a  catastrophe  would  entail  utter  ruin ;  here  one 
or  two  wTeeks  of  labour  suffice  to  repair  it  all.  As 
soon  as  the  rain  has  ceased,  the  whole  population — 
men,  women,  and  children  —  exert  themselves,  and 
hasten  to  draw  from  the  rubbish  the  wood,  provisions, 
and  utensils  that  have  resisted  the  inundation,  then 
from  the  diluted  mud  of  the  old  buildings  they  make 
new  huts,  wThieh  the  sun  quickly  dries  and  cracks  in 
all  directions.  Twto  days  later  no  traces  of  the  accident 
remain. 


A  little  more  time  and  labour  are  required  to  re¬ 
build  the  houses  of  the  better  classes.  Two  or  three 
labourers  go  down  into  the  nearest  pool,  and  collect 
pailsful  of  mud  from  the  bottom,  heap  it  upon  the 
bank,  knead  it,  mix  it  with  gravel  and  finely  chopped 
straw,  and  press  it  into  wooden  moulds,  which  an 
assistant  carries  away  and  empties  out  into  the  sun¬ 
shine.  In  a  few  hours  the  bricks  are  ready  for  use, 
and  the  building  is  commenced  (Fig.  2).  No  one 
thinks  of  clearing  the  ground  or  of  digging  founda¬ 
tions  ;  the  people  are  satisfied  with  levelling  the 
rubbish,  and  placing  the  first  bricks  loosely  upon  the 
kind  of  bed  they  have  thus  prepared.  A  fortnight 
later  the  ground- floor  is  closed  and  roofed  in,  the 


4 


THEBES  AND  THE  POPULAR  LIFE. 


family  re-enter  the  dwelling  with  their  cattle,  and 
live  in  it  whilst  the  upper  story  is  being  completed. 
The  new  house  is  exactly  like  the  old  one,  only  it  is 
built  upon  a  higher  level.  Whenever  an  accident 
forces  the  landowners  to  rebuild  their  houses,  the  soil 
is  raised  several  feet,  and  the  district,  as  though 
upheaved  by  a  perpetual  movement,  rises  above  the 
level  of  the  surrounding  plain.  At  the  end  of  some 
centuries  it  is  perched  upon  a  regular  mound,  which 
contains  the  accumulated  remains  of  all  the  former 
buildings. 

There  is  no  furniture,  or  at  least  very  little,  in  the 
homes  of  the  smaller  folk.  No  seats  or  beds,  but  a  few 
very  low  stools,  some  mats  of  rush  or  of  fibres  of  the 
palm,  with  curved  edges,  provided  with  sharp  prickles 
to  keep  off  the  scorpions  and  protect  the  sleepers  from 
their  attacks  ;  one  or  two  wooden  chests  for  the  linen  ; 
some  large  flat  stones  for  grinding  the  corn  ;  in  one 
corner  a  bin  made  of  beaten  earth,  which  contains  the 
corn,  oil,  and  provisions  ;  some  tin  pots,  saucepans,  and 
bowls ;  lastly,  against  one  of  the  walls  stands  a  small 
figure  of  a  god,  in  enamelled  stone,  wood,  or  bronze — a 
kind  of  domestic  fetish,  to  which  a  short  worship  is 
offered,  and  which  drives  away  evil  spirits  or  venomous 
beasts.  The  hearth  is  usually  placed  near  the  back 
wall;  a  hole  is  left  in  the  roof  just  above  it,  through 
which  the  smoke  escapes.  It  is  a  serious  business  to 
procure  fire  if  no  one  in  the  neighbourhood  has  a  light 
or  will  give  one  ;  it  is  then  necessary  to  strike  two 
pieces  of  flint  together  until  a  spark  is  obtained,  which 
sets  light  to  a  heap  of  dry  leaves  or  fibres  prepared 
beforehand.  The  women,  therefore,  always  leave  some 
fuel  smouldering  beneath  the  ashes,  which  can  be  easily 
fanned  by  the  hand  or  revived  by  the  breath.  The 
fire  is  regularly  extinguished  once  in  every  year,  upon 
the  Feast  of  the  Dead,  or  again  when  any  member  of 
the  family  dies;  the  new  flame  is  then  kindled  by 
means  of  a  spark  from  the  sacred  fire,  borrowed  from 


THEBES  AND  THE  POPULAR  LIFE. 


5 


the  nearest  temple.  Furniture,  utensils,  linen,  pro¬ 
visions,  tools,  everything  that  the  house  contains,  is  of 
so  little  value  that  most  people  leave  the  door  open 
night  and  day,  even  if  they  absent  themselves  for  a 
long  time  :  their  poverty  defies  theft.  Those  who  have 
something  to  lose  guard  their  property  by  large  wooden 
locks  and  bolts,  which  they  secure  by  a  little  mud, 
sealed  with  a  stamp.  To  break  a  seal  is  a  crime  se¬ 
verely  punished,  but  fear  of  the  punishment  does  not 
always  keep  evildoers  away.  On  the  first  of  the  last 
Epiphi,  Nsisouamon  was  robbed  by  a  band  of  thieves 
who  are  still  undetected,  hut  he  suspects  that  they 
came  from  the  workyard  of  the  master-mason,  Xakht- 
mout.  They  entered  his  house  whilst  he  was  at  his 
business,  and  took  from  it  two  large  household  loaves, 
as  well  as  three  votive  cakes,  which  were  piled  in  a 
corner;  then  perceiving  the  flasks  of  scented  oil,  which 
they  could  not  easily  dispose  of,  they  broke  them, 
pouring  the  contents  out  upon  the  floor  from  pure 
malice.  They  then  attacked  the  bin,  and  took  two  pots 
of  the  fruit  of  the  jujube-tree.  When  Nsisouamon 
returned  home  in  the  evening  he  discovered  the  theft, 
made  a  formal  complaint,  and  left  it  to  the  police  to 
detect  and  punish  the  culprits.  But  he  reckoned,  so 
they  say,  without  his  host.  The  captain  of  the  Libyan 
soldiers,  the  Maaziou,  who  is  entrusted  with  the  super¬ 
vision  of  the  district,  has  married  Nakhtmout’s  sister 
and  feels  no  inclination  to  quarrel  with  his  brother-in- 
law.  The  robbers,  sure  of  their  impunity,  determined 
to  punish  A sisouamon  for  having  dared  to  complain. 
The  1 3th  Epiphi  is  a  day  of  solemn  festival  in  honour 
of  the  deceased  Pharaoh,  Amenophis  III.  ;  the  work¬ 
shops  were  closed,  the  shops  shut,  the  workpeople  had 
a  general  holiday,  and  Nsisouamon  took  advantage  of 
his  leisure  to  pass  the  afternoon  with  his  father.  The 
scoundrels  entered  his  shop  and  stole  three  great  loaves, 
eight  cakes,  and  a  plateful  of  macaroons ;  they  then 
poured  the  palm  brandy  intothe  beer  tomake  it  turn  sour. 


6 


THEBES  AND  THE  POPULAR  LIFE. 


The  poor  man  is  ruined,  and  heaven  only  knows  what 
would  have  become  of  him  if  his  masters  had  not  come 
to  his  assistance,  and  out  of  their  own  money  refunded 
to  him  all  that  he  had  lost. 

Although  polygamy  is  authorised  by  law,  the  men 
of  the  lower  classes  and  the  small  tradespeople  have 
only  one  wife,  who  is  frequently  their  own  sister  or  one 
of  their  nearest  relations.  The  family  is  very  united, 
but  the  husband  rarely  stays  at  home  during  the  day ; 
his  trade  necessitates  his  absence.  He  leaves  very  early 
in  the  morning,  at  sunrise,  barefooted, 
bareheaded,  or  merely  wearing  an  old 
felt  cap  which  tightly  fits  his  skull, 
his  only  garment  a  pair  of  cotton 
drawers  which  scarcely  fall  below  his 
hips  (Fig.  3).  He  carries  his  food 
with  him — two  cakes  of  dhoura,  baked 
under  the  ashes,  one  or  two  onions, 
sometimes  a  little  oil  in  which  to  dip 
his  bread,  sometimes  a  morsel  of  dried 
fish.  Towards  noon  the  work  stops 
for  an  hour  or  two,  which  is  used  for 
eating  and  sleeping  ;  it  ceases  entirely 
Tig.  3.— -Man  of  the  sunset.  Each  trade  has  its  disad- 
eup  e'  vantages,  which  the  poet  enumerates 
in  the  following  lines: — ‘I  have  seen  the  blacksmith 
at  his  work  in  the  heat  of  his  forge ;  he  has  the  fingers 
of  a  crocodile,  and  is  black  as  fishspawn.  The  artisans 
of  all  kinds  that  handle  the  chisel,  have  they  more  rest 
than  the  peasant  ?  Their  fields  are  the  wood  they 
shape,  their  profession  is  the  metal ;  even  in  the  night 
they  are  called,  and  they  work  again  after  their  labour 
of  the  day ;  even  in  the  night  their  house  is  lighted  up 
and  they  are  awake.  The  stonemason  seeks  his  work 
in  every  kind  of  hard  stone.  When  he  has  completed 
his  orders  and  his  hands  are  tired,  does  he  rest  ?  He 
must  be  in  the  workvard  at  sunrise,  even  if  his  knees 
and  spine  break  with  his  toil.  The  barber  shaves  even 


THEBES  AND  THE  POPULAR  LIFE. 


7 


in  the  night ;  to  be  able  to  eat,  to  be  able  to  lie  down, 
be  must  go  from  district  to  district  searching  for  cus¬ 
tomers  ;  be  must  overwork  himself,  as  well  as  bis  two 
bands,  to  fill  his  belly :  thus  the  honey  is  eaten  only 
by  those  who  make  it.  The  dyer,  bis  fingers  stink  with 
the  odour  of  decayed  fish,  his  two  eyes  ache  with  weari¬ 
ness,  bis  band  never  ceases  renewing  pieces  of  stuff, 
until  be  detests  the  sight  of  stuff.  The  shoemaker  is 
very  miserable,  and  is  for  ever  complaining ;  bis  health 
is  like  that  of  a  dead  fish,  and  be  has  nothing  to  eat  but 
bis  leather.’ 

The  wages,  so  laboriously  earned,  just  suffice  to 
maintain  the  family.  They  are  usually  paid  in  kind — 
a  few  bushels  of  corn,  measured  by  a  parsimonious 
band,  a  few  measures  of  oil,  some  salt  provisions,  and, 
on  festival  days,  one  or  two  jars  of  wine  or  beer.  The 
overseers  bear  a  stick  as  their  insignia,  and  use  it 
freely.  ‘  Man  has  a  back,’  says  the  proverb,  ‘  and 
only  obeys  when  it  is  beaten.’  It  was  the  stick  that 
built  the  Pyramids,  dug  out  the  canals,  won  victories 
for  the  conquering  Pharaohs ;  it  is  now  building  the 
temple  of  Amen,  and  aids  the  artisans  of  every  trade 
to  manufacture  the  linen,  jewels,  and  ‘valuable  fur¬ 
niture  which  constitute  the  wealth  of  Egypt,  and  for 
which  foreigners  compete  at  high  prices  in  the  markets 
of  Asia,  Africa,  and  distant  Europe.  It  has,  therefore, 
entered  so  completely  into  the  daily  life  of  the  people, 
that  it  is  looked  upon  as  an  inevitable  evil.  Small  and 
great,  all  are  equal  before  it,  from  Pharaoh’s  minister 
to  the  least  of  his  slaves ;  and  it  is  a  phenomenon 
worthy  of  admiration  and  of  quotation  in  an  epitaph, 
if  any  one,  even  of  the  nobility,  have  lived  all  the 
years  of  his  life  ‘  without  being  once  beaten  before  a 
magistrate’  (Fig.  4).  The  workman,  resigned  before¬ 
hand,  patiently  labours  under  the  rod  that  threatens 
him,  with  intelligence,  even  with  gaiety.  His  mind  is 
naturally  lively  and  his  repartee  quick ;  he  instinc¬ 
tively  seizes  the  pleasant  side  of  things,  and  knows 


8 


THEBES  AXD  THE  POPULAR  LIFE. 


Low  to  give  a  piquant  turn  to  Lis  sligLtest  witticisms. 
TLe  smallest  incident  in  the  day’s  work — an  awkward 
apprentice  cutting  his  finger,  a  comrade  sleeping  over 
Lis  task  whom  the  overseer  lashes  to  awaken  him,  an 
ass  suddenly  braying  in  the  quiet  street  outside — any¬ 
thing  serves  as  a  pretext  for  amusement :  laughter 
breaks  the  silence,  then  tongues  chatter,  scoff's  and 
merry  jokes  pass  round,  the  stick  vainly  interferes,  at 
least  an  hour  elapses  before  quiet  is  re-established. 

The  wrriter,  the  scribe,  escapes  these  discomforts, 
at  least  so  he  boasts.  ‘  There  is  nothing  like  being  a 


scribe,’  the  wise  say ;  ‘  the  scribe  gets  all  that  is  upon 
the  earth.’  But  we  must  not  be  dazzled  by  this  asser¬ 
tion,  or  always  expect  those  who  boast  of  learning  to  be 
skilful  authors  in  verse  or  prose — wealthy,  influential 
personages.  No  doubt  there  are  some  scribes  of  very 
high  rank.  Prince  Amenkiounamif,  the  eldest  son  of 
Pharaoh,  the  designated  successor  to  the  throne,  and 
his  brothers  are  all  scribes.  Nakhtminou,  the  here¬ 
ditary  lord  of  Akhmim,  is  a  scribe  ;  so  is  also  Baknik- 
honsou,  the  high  priest  of  Theban  Amen,  and  the 
greatest  religious  dignitary  of  the  kingdom.  But  so  are 
Thotimhabi,  whom  the  architect  Amenmosou  employs 
to  register  the  workmen  in  the  building-yard  every 


THEBES  AND  THE  POPE  EAR  LIFE. 


9 


morning;  Hori,  who  passes  his  days  in  counting  heads 
of  cattle  and  entering  the  numbers  in  his  books ; 
Ramisou,  the  keeper  of  the  accounts  to  the  master- 
carpenter  Tinro  ;  Nofirronpit,  who  runs  about  drawing 
up  petitions  or  writing  notes  for  illiterate  people  who 
require  such  aid — these  are  all  scribes,  and  they  bear  the 
same  title  as  the  son  of  the  sovereign  or  the  most  powerful 
barons  of  the  kingdom.  The  scribe  is  simply  a  man 
who  knows  how  to  read  and  write,  to  draw  up  admi¬ 
nistrative  formulas,  and  to  calculate  interest.  The 
instruction  which  he  has  received  is  a  necessary  com¬ 
plement  of  his  position  if  he  belongs  to  a  good  family, 
whilst  if  he  be  poor  it  enables  him  to  obtain  a  lucrative 
situation  in  the  administration  or  at  the  house  of  a 
wealthy  personage. 

There  is,  therefore,  no  sacrifice  which  the  smaller 
folk  deem  too  great,  if  it  enables  them  to  give  their 
sons  the  acquirements  which  may  raise  them  above  the 
common  people,  or  at  least  ensure  a  less  miserable  fate. 
If  one  of  them,  in  his  infancy,  displays  any  intelligence, 
they  send  him,  when  about  six  or  eight  years  old,  to 
the  district  school,  where  an  old  pedagogue  teaches 
him  the  rudiments  of  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic. 
Towards  ten  or  twelve  years  old,  they  withdraw  him 
from  the  care  of  this  first  teacher  and  apprentice  him 
to  a  scribe  in  some  office,  who  undertakes  to  make  him 
a  learned  scribe.  The  child  accompanies  his  master  to 
the  office  or  workyard,  and  there  passes  entire  months 
in  copying  letters,  circulars,  legal  documents,  or  ac¬ 
counts,  which  he  does  not  at  first  understand,  but 
which  he  faithfully  remembers.  There  are  books  for 
his  use  full  of  copies  taken  from  well-known  authors, 
which  he  studies  perpetually.  If  he  requires  a  brief, 
precise  report,  this  is  how  Ennana  worded  one  of 
his : — ‘  I  reached  Elephantine,  and  accomplished  my 
mission.  I  reviewed  the  infantry  and  the  chariot 
soldiers  from  the  temples,  as  well  as  the  servants  and 


10 


THEBES  AND  THE  POPULAR  LIFE. 


subordinates  who  are  in  tbe  bouses  of  Pharaob’s 
1.  b.  s*  officials.  As  my  journey  is  for  the  purpose 
of  making  a  report  in  tbe  presence  of  bis  Majesty, 
1.  b.  s.,  the  course  of  my  business  is  as  rapid  as  that 
of  tbe  Nile ;  you  need  not,  therefore,  feel  anxious 
about  me.’  There  is  not  a  superfluous  word.  If,  on 
the  other  band,  a  petition  in  a  poetical  style  be 
required,  see  bow  Pentoirit  asked  for  a  holidajL  ‘  My 
heart  has  left  me,  it  is  travelling  and  does  not  know 
bow  to  return,  it  sees  Memphis  and  hastens  there. 
Would  that  I  were  in  its  place.  I  remain  here,  busy 
following  my  heart,  which  endeavours  to  draw  me 
towards  Memphis.  I  have  no  work  in  hand,  my  heart 
is  tormented.  May  it  please  the  god  Ptah  to  lead  me 
to  Memphis,  and  do  thou  grant  that  I  may  be  seen 
walking  there.  I  am  at  leisure,  my  heart  is  watching, 
my  heart  is  no  longer  in  my  bosom,  languor  has  seized 
my  limbs ;  my  eye  is  dim,  my  ear  hardened,  my  voice 
feeble,  it  is  a  failure  of  all  my  strength.  I  pray  thee 
remedy  all  this.’ 

The  pupil  copies  and  recopies,  the  master  inserts 
forgotten  words,  corrects  the  faults  of  spelling,  and 
draws  on  the  margin  the  signs  or  groups  unskilfully 
traced.  When  the  book  is  duly  finished  and  the  ap¬ 
prentice  can  write  all  the  formulas  from  memory, 
portions  of  phrases  are  detached  from  them,  which  he 
must  join  together,  so  as  to  combine  new  formulas;  the 
master  then  entrusts  him  with  the  composition  of  a  few 
letters,  gradually  increasing  the  number  and  adding  to 
the  difficulties.  As  soon  as  he  has  fairly  mastered  the 
ordinary  daily  routine  his  education  is  ended,  and  an 
unimportant  post  is  sought  for.  He  obtains  it  and 
then  marries,  becoming  the  head  of  a  family,  some¬ 
times  before  he  is  twenty  years  old ;  he  has  no  further 
ambition,  but  is  content  to  vegetate  quietly  in  the  ob- 

*  L.  h.  s.  is  the  abbreviation  of  tbe  words  life,  health,  strength  (in 
Egyptian,  oukhou,  ouza,  soubou),  always  placed  as  a  wish  after  the 
name  and  titles  of  Pharaoh. 


THEBES  AND  THE  POPULAR  LIFE. 


11 


score  circle  where  fate  has  thrown  him.  His  children 
will  follow  in  the  path  that  he  has  traced  for  them,  and 
their  children  after  them ;  in  certain  administrations 
there  are  whole  dynasties  of  scribes,  the  members  of 
one  family  having  succeeded  to  the  same  posts  for  a 
century  or  more.  Sometimes  one  of  them,  more  in¬ 
telligent  or  more  ambitious  than  the  others,  makes  an 
effort  to  rise  above  the  usual  mediocrity ;  his  good 
writing,  happy  choice  of  words,  activity,  obligingness, 
and  honesty — perhaps,  on  the  other  hand,  his  prudent 
dishonesty — attract  the  attention  of  his  superiors  and 
secure  his  advancement.  Cases  have  been  seen  of  the 
son  of  a  peasant  or  of  a  poor  citizen,  commencing  by 
booking  the  delivery  of  bread  or  vegetables  in  some 
provincial  office,  and  ending,  after  a  long  and  indus¬ 
trious  career,  by  governing  one  half  of  Egypt.  The 
rooms  of  his  barns  overflow  with  corn  ;  his  storehouses 
are  full  of  gold,  valuable  stuffs,  and  precious  vases;  his 
stable  ‘  multiplies  the  backs  ’  of  his  oxen,  and  the  son 
of  his  first  protector  dare  only  approach  him  with  bis 
face  bent  to  the  ground,  dragging  himself  upon  his 
knees. 

The  Egyptian  woman  of  the  lower  and  middle 
classes  is  more  respected  and  more 
independent  than  any  other  woman  in 
the  world.  As  a  daughter,  she  in¬ 
herits  from  her  parents  an  equal  share 
with  her  brothers ;  as  a  wife,  she  is 
the  real  mistress  of  the  house,  nibit 
pi,  her  husband  being,  so  to  speak, 
merely  her  privileged  guest.  She  goes 
and  comes  as  she  likes,  talks  to  whom 
she  pleases  without  any  one  being  able 
to  question  her  actions,  goes  amongst 
men  with  an  uncovered  face,  a  rule 
quite  opposed  to  the  habits  of  the  ’ 

Syrian  women,  who  are  always  more  Fik  5'~ 
or  less  strictly  veiled.  She  is  dressed 


-A  Woman 
of  the  People. 


12 


THEBES  AND  THE  POPULAR  LIFE. 


in  a  short  smock-frock,  very  narrow  and  clinging  to  her 
body  ;  it  only  reaches  her  ankles  and  leaves  the  upper 
part  of  the  bosom  uncovered,  being  held  in  place  by 
braces  over  the  shoulders  (Fig.  5).  The  forehead,  chin, 
and  breasts  are  covered  with  delicate  and  indelible 
tattooing,  the  lips  are  rouged,  the  eyes  surrounded  by 
a  black  band,  which  is  lengthened  on  the  temples  al¬ 
most  to  the  hair.  The  powder  used  for  this  adornment  is 
a  mixture  of  antimony  and  finely  powdered  charcoal, 
which  heightens  the  whiteness  of  the  complexion,  gives 
brilliancy  to  the  eyes,  and  protects  them  from  ophthal¬ 
mia  ;  the  use  of  it  is  hygienically  beneficial  and  coquetry 


Pig.  6.— Sandal. 


Fig.  7.— Collar. 


also  finds  it  advantageous.  The  hair,  greased,  oiled, 
and  sometimes  dyed  blue,  falls  upon  the  shoulders  and 
neck  in  very  fine  tresses,  which  terminate  in  balls  of 
earth  ;  since  this  arrangement  requires  several  hours’ 
work  to  complete  it  properly,  the  hair  is  not  often 
dressed,  once  in  every  ten  or  twelve  days,  once  a  month, 
or  even  less  frequently.  The  feet,  arms,  and  neck  are 
bare,  but  on  festival  days  a  pair  of  sandals,  made  of 
papyrus-leaves  or  of  leather  (Fig.  6),  glass  bracelets  on 
the  wrists  and  ankles,  a  large  collar  of  beads  or  of  tubes 
of  enamelled  faience  (Fig.  7),  a  fillet,  and  a  flower  on  the 
forehead,  complete  the  costume  and  correct  the  too 
great  simplicity  of  ordinary  days. 

In  truth,  the  woman  is  the  mainspring  that  keeps 


THEBES  AND  THE  POPULAR  LIFE. 


13 


tlie  whole  household  in  movement.  She  rises  at  day¬ 
break,  lights  the  tire,  distributes  the  bread  for  the  day, 
sends  the  men  to  the  workshop,  the  cattle  to  pasture 
under  the  care  of  the  smallest  boys  and  of  the  girls, 
then,  once  rid  of  her  family,  she  goes  out  in  her  turn 
to  the  water  supply.  She  descends  to  the  river,  canal, 
or  nearest  pool,  exchanges  with  her  friends  the  news 
of  the  night,  washes,  as  she  chats,  her  feet,  hands,  and 
body,  fills  her  jar,  and  slowly  reascends  to  her  home, 
her  loins  bent,  her  chest  forward,  her  neck  straightened 
by  the  weight.  As  soon  as  she  reaches  the  house  she 
changes  her  trade  of  water-carrier  for  that  of  baker. 
She  scatters  a  few  handfuls  of  grain  upon  an  oblong 
stone,  which  has  a  slightly  concave  slanting  surface, 
and  then  crushes  them  with  a  smaller  stone,  shaped 
like  a  pestle,  which  she  damps  from  time  to  time.  For 
an  hour  or  more  she  labours  with  arms,  shoulders,  loins, 
the  whole  body ;  the  effort  is  great,  the  result  very 
mediocre.  The  flour,  several  times  repassed  over  the 
mortar,  is  uneven,  rough,  mixed  with  bran  and  whole 
grain,  which  have  escaped  from  the  grinding,  dust,  and 
splinters  of  stone.  Such  as  it  is  the  housewife  kneads 
it  with  a  little  water,  mixes  with  it,  by  way  of  leaven,  a 
piece  of  stale  paste  kept  from  the  previous  day,  and 
makes  it  into  round  cakes,  as  thick  as  a  thumb  and 
about  six  inches  in  diameter,  which  she  spreads  upon 
flat  stones  and  covers  with  hot  ashes.  Wood  is  too 
rare  and  too  dear  for  her  to  procure  ;  she,  therefore, 
replaces  it  by  a  fuel  of  her  own  manufacture.  The 
dung  of  her  live  stock,  wdth  that  of  asses,  oxen,  and 
sheep  collected  by  the  children  from  outside,  is  vigor¬ 
ously  stirred  like  an  ordinary  paste,  and  she  then  forms 
it  into  clods  or  bricks,  which  she  stands  against  the 
outer  walls  of  the  house  or  places  in  the  court,  so  that 
they  may  dry  in  the  sun.  This  doubtful  substance 
burns  slowly,  almost  without  smoke,  with  a  light  flame 
and  a  fairly  strong  smell  of  ammonia  ;  it  gives  out 
a  great  deal  of  heat  before  it  falls  into  ashes.  The 


14 


THEBES  AND  THE  POPULAR  LIFE. 


bread,  slightly  risen,  often  undercooked,  retains  a 
special  flavour  and  a  sour  taste,  to  which  strangers 
find  it  difficult  to  accustom  themselves.  The  impurities 
which  it  contains  at  last  triumph  over  the  strongest 
teeth  :  one  grinds  rather  than  munches,  and  many  old 
men  have  worn  their  teeth  down  to  the  gums,  like 
horses. 

In  spare  moments  the  woman  cooks,  spins,  weaves, 
sews,  cuts  out  and  mends  the  clothes,  goes  to  market  to 
sell  her  poultry,  eggs,  butter,  and  the  linen  she  has 
woven — doing  all  this  without  neglecting  the  little  ones 
who  cry,  or  the  newborn  infant  that  she  is  nursing. 
Usually  married  very  young,  a  mother  before  she  is 
fifteen,  frequently  a  grandmother  at  thirty,  children 
are  always  multiplying  and  swarming  round  her.  A 
large  family  is  a  blessing  from  the  gods,  which  is  wel¬ 
comed  with  gratitude,  partly  because  its  keep  is  inex¬ 
pensive.  There  is  no  question  of  costume  ;  boys  and 


girls  sometimes  wear  a  bracelet 
on  the  wrist  or  an  amulet  round 
the  neck,  as  well  as  a  thick  tress 
of  hair  falling  over  one  ear,  but 
they  remain  unconsciously  nude 
until  puberty  (Figs.  8  and  9).  As 
soon  as  they  can  walk  the  mother 
employs  them  in  little  ways,  sends 


U  \  \  them  out  to  pick  up  dry  branches 

■  ■-  --  and  herbs,  or  to  collect  in  baskets 

Fig.  8.— A  Little  Boy.  the  materials  for  the  fuel  ;  she 
entrusts  them  with  the  care  of 
driving  the  geese  to  feed,  and  finally  allows  them  to 
take  the  cattle  to  pasture  and  to  drink.  As  soon  as 
they  are  six  or  eight  years  old  she  sends  them  to  school 
or  makes  them  learn  a  trade,  usually  that  of  the  father. 
Many  never  get  so  far,  but  die  in  infancy.  Badly  fed, 
indifferently  cared  for,  abandoned  to  themselves  for 
entire  days,  those  who  have  any  weak  points  in  their 
constitutions  die  one  after  the  other.  The  most  nume- 


THEBES  AND  THE  POPULAR  LIFE. 


15 


rous  families  are,  usually,  but  the  remnants  of  still 
larger  numbers.  But,  at  least, 
those  who  survive  are  endowed 
with  good  health  that  resists 
every  shock.  The  Egyptian 
people,  weeded,  so  to  speak,  by 
this  natural  operation,  contains 
only  vigorousindividuals,  of  robust, 
sturdy  beauty,  who  can  endure 
pain  and  fatigue.  It  includes  few 
of  those  infirm,  crooked,  and  ill- 
made  creatures  who  swarm  in 
other  countries:  ophthalmia  is  the 
only  malady  it  has  to  dread.  The 
action  of  the  fine  sand,  with 
which  the  atmosphere  is  satu¬ 
rated,  the  insupportable  glare  of 
light,  the  influence  of  the  serene 
nights  and  of  the  fogs  which  rise 
in  the  mornings,  produce,  amongst 
the  labourers  and  city  workmen, 
a  number  of  eye  diseases,  which 
the  doctors  cannot  always  cure,  so 
full  of  the  one-eyed  and  the  blind,  of  red  and  purulent 
eyelids. 

The  woman  of  the  lower  classes  fades  rapidly 
through  her  work  and  fecundity ;  her  face  becomes 
hollow  and  wrinkled,  her  bust  ill- shaped,  her  form 
bent.  She  is  already  decrepit  at  an  age  when  other 
women  are  scarcely  elderly.  Her  position  in  the 
family  does  not  suffer  in  any  way  from  this  early 
deterioration  :  to  the  end  she  is  ‘  the  beloved  of  her 
husband  ’  and  the  mistress  of  the  house.  The  chil¬ 
dren  display  their  affinity  by  her  name  rather  than  by 
that  of  the  father.  They  are  Khonshotpou,  Ahmosou, 
Nouhri,  born  of  Mrs.  Banisit  or  Mrs.  Mimout,  and  not 
Khonshotpou,  Ahmosou,  Nouhri,  sons  of  Mr.  Nibtooui 
or  of  Mr.  Khamoisit.  The  divinities  themselves  set  a 


that  the  streets  are 


16 


THEBES  AND  THE  POPULAR  LIFE. 


good  example  to  men  on  this  point,  and  the  young 
Homs  is  styled  Harsiisit,  Horns  son  of  Isis,  without 
any  allusion  to  Osiris.  The  father,  when  necessary, 
encourages  and  reanimates  by  his  counsels  the  chil¬ 
dren’s  affection  for  their  mother.  ‘  It  is  God  himself 
who  gave  her  to  thee,’  says  one  of  them,  the  sage 
Khonshotpou  to  his  son  Ani.  ‘  From  the  beginning 
she  has  borne  a  heavy  burden  with  thee,  in  which  I 
have  been  unable  to  help  her.  When  thou  wast  born,  she 
really  made  herself  thy  slave.  During  three  years  she 
nursed  thee  at  her  breast,  and  as  thy  size  increased  her 
heart  neArer  once  allowed  her  to  say,  “Why should  I  do 
this?”  She  went  with  thee  to  school,  and  whilst  thou 
Avert  learning  thy  letters,  she  placed  herself  near  to 
thy  master,  every  day,  Avith  bread  and  beer  from  her 
house.  And  now  that  thou  art  grown  up,  and  hast 
a  wife  and  a  house  in  thy  turn,  remember  always 
thine  helpless  infancy  and  the  care  Avhich  thy  mother 
lavished  upon  thee,  so  that  she  may  neA’er  have  occasion 
to  reproach  thee,  nor  to  raise  her  hands  to  heaA’en 
against  thee,  for  God  Avould  fulfil  her  curse.’ 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  MARKET  AKD  THE  SHOPS. 


The  middle-class  quarters  of  Thebes — The  market :  sale  by  exchange 
or  the  weights  of  metals — -The  bazaars  and  shops  —  The  confec¬ 
tioner,  the  cook-shops,  the  itinerant  barber — Tne  shoemaker  — 
The  goldsmith  —  The  carpenter  —  The  weavers,  the  curriers,  the 
potter — The  beer  house  and  its  customers — Appearance  of  the 
crowd — The  masons’  strike  —  Psarou,  count  of  Tliebe3,  and  his 
house — -The  arrival  of  Pharaoh. 

People  and  houses,  the  whole  aspect  of  both  changes 
as  we  penetrate  farther  into  the  heart  of  the  city. 
The  streets  are  neither  wider  nor  straighter,  but  the 
buildings  are  more  carefully  constructed ;  they  are 
more  regular,  and  so  high  that,  from  below,  the  sky 
looks  like  a  simple  luminous  band  between  two  dark 
lines.  It  is  evident,  from  a  thousand  indications,  that 
the  population  is  rich,  or  at  all  events  very  comfortably 
off,  but  it  conceals  its  wealth  instead  of  displaying  it. 
The  sides  of  the  houses  that  face  the  street  are  dingy 
and  silent.  The  outer  windows  are  rare  and  highly 
placed,  the  doors  are  low  and  carefully  closed ;  when 
one  of  them  stands  ajar  the  curious  can  only  see 
through  the  opening  the  end  of  a  dark  passage,  or  the 
first  steps  of  a  staircase  lost  in  shadow.  A  dog  barks, 
a  child  cries  in  a  distant  chamber,  a  voice  issuing  from 
some  unknown  spot  breaks  the  silence  for  an  instant ; 
two  passers-by  exchange  a  salutation,  poor  little  asses, 
laden  with  straw,  trot  nimbly  by  under  the  driver’s  stick. 
Here,  however,  one  house  projects  over  the  street  and 
3 


18  THE  MARKET  AND  THE  SHOPS. 

joins  the  house  opposite:  we  must  grope  the  way  for 
about  twenty  or  thirty  steps  in  a  kind  of  suffocating  tube, 
and  then  suddenly  emerge  into  the  full  sunshine  of  a 
noisy  little  square,  where  a  market  is  being  held.  Sheep, 
geese,  goats,  asses,  large -horned  oxen,  scattered  in 
unequal  groups  in  the  centre,  are  awaiting  a  purchaser. 
Peasants,  fishermen,  small  retail  dealers,  squat  several 
deep  in  front  of  the  houses,  displaying  before  them,  in 
great  rush  baskets  or  on  low  tables,  loaves  or  pastry, 
fruit,  vegetables,  fish,  meat  raw  or  cooked,  jewels,  per¬ 
fumes,  stuffs,  all  the  necessities  and  all  the  superfluities 
of  Egyptian  life. 

The  customers  stroll  past  and  leisurely  examine  the 
quality  of  the  commodities  offered  for  sale ;  each 
carries  something  of  his  own  manufacture  in  *his  hand 
— a  new  tool,  some  shoes,  a  mat,  or  a  small  box  full  of 
rings  of  copper,  silver,  even  of  gold,  of  the  weight  of 
an  out  non ,*  which  he  proposes  to  barter  for  the  objects 
he  requires.  Two  customers  stop  at  the  same  moment 
in  front  of  a  fellah,  who  exhibits  onions  and  wheat  in 
a  basket.  Instead  of  money,  the  first  holds  two  neck¬ 
lets  of  glass  or  of  many-coloured  earthenware,  the 

second  a  round  fan 
with  a  wrnoden 
handle,  and  one  of 
those  triangular 
ventilators  which 
the  cooks  use  to 
quicken  the  fire. 
‘  Here  is  a  beauti¬ 
ful  necklet  which 
will  please  you,  this 
is  what  you  want,’ 
cries  the  former ; 
whilst  the  latter  urges,  ‘  Here  is  a  fan  and  a  ventilator.’ 
However,  the  fellah,  quite  unmoved  by  this  double 

*  The  average  weight  of  an  outnou  is  2 0 V-  ounces  or  91  grammes 
according  to  Mr.  Chabas. 


Fig.  10. — A  Necklet  for  some  Onions. 


THE  MARKET  AND  THE  SHOPS. 


19 


attack,  methodically  proceeds  to  first  seize  a  string  of 
the  beads  for  closer  examination.  ‘  Let  me  see  it,  that 
I  may  fix  a  price  ’  (Fig.  10).  The  one  asks  too  much, 
the  other  too  little  ;  from  concession  to  concession  they 
finally  come  to  terms,  and  settle  the  number  of  onions 
or  the  weight  of  corn 
which  the  necklet  or 
fan  may  be  worth. 

Elsewhere  (Fig.  11), 
it  is  a  question  of 
bartering  a  pair  of 
sandals  or  a  row  of 
enamelled  beads  for 
some  perfume. 

‘  Here,’  urges  the 
buyer,  ‘  is  a  very 
strong  pair  of  shoes.’ 

But  the  seller  does  not  require  shoes  for  the  moment, 
so  he  offers  one  of  his  small  pots  in  exchange  for  a  row 
of  beads.  ‘  It  is  delicious  when  a  few  drops  are  poured 


Fig.  11. — Some  Perfume  for  a  Necklet. 


out,’  he  explains,  with  a  persuasive  air.  A  woman 
thrusts  under  the  nose  of  a  kneeling  individual  two 
jars,  probably  containing  some  ointment  of  her  own 
manufacture  (Fig.  12).  ‘Here,’  she  cries,  ‘it  smells 


20 


THE  MARKET  AKD  THE  SHOPS. 


sweet  enough  to  entice  tliee.’  Behind  this  group  two 
men  are  discussing  the  value  of  a  packet  of  fish-hooks 
(Fig.  13)  ;  a  woman,  box  in  hand,  is  a  vendor  of  brace¬ 
lets  and  necklets  ;  another  woman  endeavours  to  obtain 
a  reduction  upon  the  price  of  a  fish,  which  is  being 
dressed  before  her. 

When  it  is  a  question  of  a  large  animal,  or  of  objects 
of  considerable  value,  the  accounts  become  intricate. 
For  instance,  Ahmosou  sells  a  bull  for  a  mat,  five 
measures  of  honey,  eleven  measures  of  oil,  and  seven 
objects  of  different  kinds.  Now,  imagine  the  calcula- 


Fig.  13. — The  Fish-hooks  and  the  Purchase  of  a  Necklet. 


tions  which  must  have  been  made  before  he  succeeded 
in  establishing  such  a  complicated  balance.  Besides, 
the  value  in  metal  of  each  article  was  carefully  noted, 
and  is  mentioned  in  the  bill.*  The  mat  was  estimated 
at  25  out  non,  the  honey  at  4,  the  oil  at  10,  and  so  on, 
the  whole  weighing  119  outnou,  which  is  not  too  dear 

*  Twenty-five  outnou  equal  91  x23  =  2275  grammes;  4  outnou, 
91  x  4  =  384  grammes;  10  outnou,  91  x  10  =  910  grammes;  119  outnou, 
91  x  119  =  10.829  grammes  in  weight,  and,  without  alloy,  14,378 
grammes,  equal  to  about  143  francs  78  centimes,  or  51.  15s.  in  copper 
money.  By  repeating  this  calculation  for  each  figure  indicated  later 
on,  the  value  of  objects  computed  in  outnou  of  gold,  silver,  or  copper 
is  easily  ascei  tained. 


THE  MARKET  AXD  THE  SHOPS. 


21 


for  a  beast  in  good  condition.*  This  custom  of  pay¬ 
ment  by  one  of  the  usual  metals  is  so  convenient,  and 
dispenses  with  so  many  calculations,  that  it  lias  been 
adopted  even  for  the  minor  transactions  of  daily  life. 
The  butcher,  the  baker,  the  corn-chandler,  all  the  small 
tradesmen  prefer  exchange  for  metal,  which  is  of  small 
compass  and  does  not  spoil,  to  exchange  for  objects, 
often  bulky  in  size,  which  are  liable  to  deteriorate  if 
kept  too  long  in  the  house.  A  pair  of  ducks  is  worth 
a  quarter  of  an  outnou  in  copper ;  a  fan,  a  quarter ;  a 
bronze  razor  is  worth  a  whole  outnou ;  a  pickaxe,  two  ; 
a  goat,  two ;  an  ox- head,  half  an  outnou  in  silver ;  a 
leather  bottle  of  fine  wine,  three  outnou  of  gold.  It  is 
true  that  often  the  rings  or  twisted  wires  which  represent 
the  outnou  and  its  multiples  do  not  contain  the  reputed 
quantity  of  gold  or  silver,  and  are  too  light.  They  are 
then  weighed  at  every  fresh  market  (Fig.  14).  The 
parties  interested  take  advantage  of  the  excuse  for 
quarrelling  loudly; 
when  they  have  de¬ 
claimed,  for  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  that 
the  scales  are  false,  that 
the  weight  has  been 
badly  taken  and  should 
be  tried  over  again, 
they  get  tired  of  war, 
come  to  an  agreement, 
and  go  away  quite  satis¬ 
fied  with  each  other. 

The  evil  is  more  serious 
when  too  intelligent 
and  too  unscrupulous 
individuals  falsify  the  precious  metals,  and  introduce 
as  much  copper  into  the  ingots  as  they  can  contain 
without  detection.  The  honest  trader  who  thinks  that 

*  This  bill  has  been  preserved  upon  a  fragment  of  pottery  ( ostracon ) 
in  the  British  Museum. 


22 


THE  MARKET  AND  THE  SHOPS. 


he  receives,  let  us  say,  eight  outturn  of  fine  gold,  and 
upon  whom  are  foisted  eight  outnou  of  an  alloy  exactly 
resembling  gold,  but  which  contains  only  two-thirds  of 
it,  then  unconsciously  loses  one-third  of  his  merchandise. 

But  for  this  danger  of  fraud,  which  every  one 
naturally  dreads,  exchange  for  metal  would  have 
already  superseded  barter  for  miscellaneous  objects. 
It  will  become  the  universal  custom  as  soon  as  some 
method  can  be  discovered  which  will  free  the  public 
from  the  necessity  of  continual  weighing,  and  will 
guarantee  the  purity  of  the  ingots.* 

Two  or  three  commercial  streets  or  bazaars  open 
from  the  other  side  of  the  square,  and  the  crowd 
hastens  towards  them  when  it  leaves  the  market. 
Nearly  their  whole  length  is  filled  with  stalls  and 
shops,  in  which  not  only  Egypt,  but  the  majority  of 
the  oriental  nations  display  their  most  varied  pro¬ 
ductions.  Beautifully  ornamented  stuffs  from  Syria, 
Phoenician  or  Hitt ite  jewellery,  scented  woods  and 
gums  from  Punt  and  the  Holy  Lands  ;*f*  lapis  and 
embroideries  from  Babylon ;  coral,  gold,  iron,  tin, 
and  amber*  from  far-distant  countries  beyond  the 
seas,  are  found  scattered  pell-mell  amongst  the  native 
fine  linen,  jewels,  glass-work,  and  furniture.  The  shop 
is  usually  independent  from  the  rest  of  the  house,  and 
is  let  separately.  It  is  a  small,  square  room,  often  a 
simple  shed,  widely  open  in  front,  and  closed  every 
evening  by  means  of  wooden  shutters,  held  in  place  by 
cross-bars  ;  with  one  or  two  mats,  one  or  two  low  stools, 
some  shelves  fixed  to  the  wall,  which  hold  the  goods; 

*  This  method  was  discovered  in  the  early  part  of  the  seventh 
century  before  our  era,  some  say  by  the  kings  of  Lydia,  others  by 
Pliido  of  Argos.  By  putting  a  stamp  upon  the  ingots,  an  official 
mark  which  guaranteed  the  weight  and  value,  the  Lydians  or  the 
Greeks  transfonned  them  into  pieces  of  money. 

+  Southern  Arabia,  the  African  coasts  of  the  Rad  Sea  and  the  land 
of  the  Somalis. 

J  I  have  found  a  fair  quantity  of  amber  beads  in  the  tombs  of  the 
Ancient  and  Middle  Empire,  which  I  excavated  in  Abydos. 


THE  MARKET  AND  THE  SHOPS. 


23 


perhaps  behind  the  shop  one  or  two  carefully  closed 
rooms  where  the  most  valuable  objects  are  stored. 
Most  of  the  tradesmen  are  also  manufacturers.  They 
have  apprentices  or  workmen  who  work  for  them,  and 
they  join  them  during  the  intervals  between  their  sales. 
The  handicraft  they  ply  has  no  secrets  which  a  curious 
customer  may  not  see  if  he  feel  so  inclined.  Artisans 
of  the  same  trade  have  usually  a  natural  tendency  to 
collect  together,  to  dwell  side  by  side  in  the  same 
place — blacksmiths  with  blacksmiths,  curriers  with 
curriers,  goldsmiths  with  goldsmiths,  forming  a  small 
city  in  which  objects  of  the  same  kind  only  are  found: 
here  the  shops  are  of  all  kinds,  and  follow  each  other 
without  any  particular  order. 

The  two  which  occupy  the  corner  of  the  square 
belong,  the  one  on  the  right  to  a  confectioner,  the 
other  on  the  left  to  a  cook.  It  is  noon,  the  time  for 
dinner  and  afterwards  for  the  siesta ;  the  crowd 
hurries  towards  them. 

Whilst  the  confectioner 
spreads  out  his  preserved 
dates,  syrups,  and  pastry 
made  of  honey  and  spices, 
his  assistants  at  the  back 
are  pounding  almonds  and 
pistachio  nuts  in  a  mortar 
(Fig.  15),  decanting  and 
filtering  mysterious  li¬ 
quids,  and  preparing  as 
difficult  combinations  as 
those  of  a  doctor  making 
up  a  medicine.  Over  the 
way  the  cook  and  his 
waiters  are  quite  inade¬ 
quate  to  satisfy  the  re¬ 
quirements  of  their  cus¬ 
tomers.  Quarters  of  geese,  portions  of  beef,  stews, 
vegetables,  the  patient  work  of  the  whole  morning, 


Fig.  15.— The  Pastrycook  at 
Work. 


24 


THE  MARKET  AND  THE  SHOPS. 


only  appear  in  order  to  disappear.  Fortunate! y  extra 
supplies  are  at  hand ;  pieces  of  raw  meat  hang  from 
the  ceiling,  awaiting  their  turn  to  enter  the  scene  of 
action  (Fig.  16),  Two  saucepans,  full  to  overflowing, 


Fig.  16.— The  Cooksliop. 


are  just  boiling,  and  a  cook  is  roasting  a  goose,  which 
he  holds  upon  a  spit  over  the  fire  with  his  left 
hand,  whilst  he  quickens  the  flame  with  a  ventilator- 


held  in  his  right  hand 


(Fig.  17). 


Some  of  the 
carry  their 


customers 
purchases  away,  after 
they  have  paid  for  them, 
for  the  family  dinner  in 
their  own  houses.  Others 
prefer  to  eat  them  on  the 
spot.  A  citizen  (Fig.  18), 
seated  upon  a  stool,  draped 


Fig.  17. — The  Cook  roasts  a  in  ^is  mantle  is  pre- 
Guose.  pared  lor  a  good  meal,  it 

we  may  judge  of  his  ap¬ 
petite  by  the  amount  of  food  placed  before  him.  A 
barber,  roaming  about  the  neighbourhood,  has  at  last 
found  a  customer  amongst  all  these  diners,  and  is 
rapidly  shaving  his  head  before  satisfying  his  own 


THE  MARKET  AND  THE  SHOPS.  25 

hunger  (Fig.  19).  A  shoemaker  lives  next  to  the  confec¬ 
tioner,  a  goldsmith  to  the  shoemaker,  a  carpenter  to  the 
goldsmith.  The  shoemaker  appears  to  have  the  largest 
connexion,  for  he  keeps  four  workmen  continually 
employed  (Fig.  20).  One 
of  them  has  fetched  a 
skin  from  the  back  of 
the  shojD,  and  has  cut  it 
into  hands  of  the  width 
of  a  man’s  foot,  which  he 
lays  upon  a  high  bench, 
in  order  to  make  them 
supple  and  pliable  by 
tapping  them  with  a  ham¬ 
mer.  The  three  others, 
each  seated  before  a  low, 
sloping  work-bench,  upon 
which  their  tools  are  laid,  work  hard,  whilst  their 
master  bargains  with  his  customers.  They  do  not 
make  fancy  shoes,  sandals  with  curved  points  and 
many-coloured  bands,  high-heeled  Turkish  slippers, 
or  soft  leather  shoes  lacing  in 
front,  but  footgear  for  use  and 
hard  work.  This  usually  con¬ 
sists  of  a  strong  sole,  shaped  in 
a  general  way  to  the  form  of  the 
foot.  It  has  two  ears  at  the 
back,  through  which  pass  leathern 
thongs;  a  third  thong  fixed  be¬ 
tween  the  great  and  the  second 
toes  is  fastened  to  the  two  others 
over  the  instep.  The  workman 
in  the  centre  pierces  one  of  the 
ears  with  his  awl,  the  one  on  the  left  bores  through 
the  sandal,  and  the  one  on  the  right  draws  the 
strap  with  his  teeth  to  get  it  into  place.  Looking 
at  them,  one  understands  why  the  satirist  said  of 
the  working  shoemaker  ‘  that  he  had  only  leather  to 


Fig.  19. — The  Barber 
and  his  Customer. 


Fig.  18. — One  of  the  Customers 
in  the  Cookshop. 


26 


THE  MARKET  AND  THE  SHOPS. 


eat.’*  Sandals  cut  out,  but  not  finished,  hang  against 
the  wall,  with  half-a-dozen  skins;  but  one  single  pair 
is  entirely  completed  and  ready  for  sale. 

The  goldsmith  occupies  less  space  than  his  neigh¬ 
bour,  the  shoemaker.  A  small  anvil,  some  pincers, 
some  hammers,  a  furnace  with  a  reflector,  and,  as 
assistant,  one  single  apprentice.  A  few  dozen  rings, 
some  earrings,  and  bracelets  in  copper  or  in  bad  silver 
are  laid  out  for  show,  but  the  valuable  jewels  are 
safely  placed  in  a  chest  at  the  back  of  the  shop,  far 
from  the  eyes  of  the  crowd,  and,  above  all,  far  from 
its  hands.  The  gold  arrives  in  nuggets,  in  packets  of 
a  given  weight,  from  the  heart  of  Africa,  where  the 


Fig.  20. — A  Shoemaker's  Workshop. 


negroes  collect  it  from  the  sand  of  the  rivers ;  in  bars 
and  rings  from  Syria,  or  the  deserts  which  separate 
the  Nile  from  the  lied  Sea.  Silver  and  elect  rum,  that 
natural  alloy  which  contains  twenty  parts  of  silver  to 
eighty  of  gold,  are  brought  by  the  Phoenicians  and 
Ethiopians.  Green  ( mafkait )  and  red  stones,  emeralds, 
jasper,  olivine,  garnets,  rubies,  cornelian,  are  found  in 
Egypt  itself.  The  lapis-lazuli  is  imported  by  Chal¬ 
dean  merchants  from  the  unknown  and  almost  fabulous 
regions  bordered  by  Elam.  Here  a  young  woman  has 
just  given  a  slab  of  electrum  to  the  goldsmith,  and 
*  See  on  page  7  the  passage  iu  which  this  allusion  is  made. 


THE  MARKET  AXD  THE  SHOPS. 


27 


she  is  waiting,  chatting  the  whole  time,  whilst  he 
converts  it  into  a  bracelet.  He  first  carefully  weighs 
the  metal,  then  throws  it-  into  the  fire.  Seated  before 
the  crucible,  his  pincers  in  one  hand,  he  quickens  the 
flame  by  means  of  a  blowpipe  to  hasten  the  fusion,  or 
rather  the  softening,  of 
the  electrum  (Fig.  21). 

As  soon  as  the  metal  is 
hot  enough,  he  with¬ 
draws  it  from  the  fire, 
beats  it  upon  the  anvil, 
reheats  it,  reheats  it,  and 
finally  reduces  it  to  the 
desired  thickness  and 
length.  He  then  bends 
it  with  a  single  move¬ 
ment,  and  rounds  it  until  the  two  extremities  meet, 
rapidly  solders  them,  cleans  his  work  with  sand,  pours 
a  jar  of  water  over  it  to  cool  it,  and  polishes  it  with 
his  hand.  This  takes  him  at  least  an  hour,  during 


Eig.  21. — The  Goldsmith  at  his 
Ciucible. 


Tig.  22. — The  Carpenter  making  Chairs. 


which  time  he  has  been  disturbed  perhaps  twenty 
times  by  requests  for  rings,  a  pair  of  earrings,  a 

chain,  or  an  ankle-rino-. 

©  #  # 

The  same  activity  reigns  at  the  house  of  his  neigh- _ 


28 


THE  MARKET  AND  THE  SHOPS. 


bour,  the  carpenter  (Fig.  22),  where,  at  the  present 
moment,  some  state  chairs  in  inlaid  wood  are  being 
made.  One  of  them  is  already  put  together,  and  the 
workman  is  drilling  holes  in  the  frame  to  which  the 
lattice  for  the  seat  is  to  be  fastened.  The  workman 
opposite  is  less  advanced  in  his  work  ;  he  has  carved 

the  four  lion’s  feet  which  are 
to  support  the  seat,  and  is 
now  hastening  to  rub  them 
down  with  pumice-stone.  His 
adze  is  placed  upon  the  block 
of  wood  which  furnishes  him 
with  materials.  It  is  fomied 
of  a  short  blade,  usually  of 
iron,  attached  by  a  lacing  of 
straps  to  a  curved  handle 
(Fig.  23).  The  adze  is  the 
favourite  tool  of  the  Egyptian 
carpenter.  He  uses  it  to  cut 
up  his  wood,  to  shape  his 
planks,  to  cut  and  plane 
them ;  in  his  hands  it  is 
worth  half-a-dozen  different  tools  in  those  of  any 
foreign  carpenter. 

A  clicking:  of  shuttles,  blended  with  the  chattering 
of  women,  points  to  a  room  full  of  spinners  and  weavers 
in  active  work.  One  winds  and  twists  the  flax  between 
her  fingers,  another  smooths  the  thread,  a  third  dresses 
it ;  two  others,  crouched  on  each  side  of  a  low  loom 
fastened  to  the  ground,  are  weaving  a  piece  of  linen 
(Fig.  21).  A  currier  scrajtes  some  skins  with  a  paring- 
knife  ;  a  potter  moulds  some  dishes  in  red  clay ;  a 
maker  of  stoneware  hollows  and  polishes  the  inside  of 
a  large  alabaster  horn  with  a  kind  of  wimble.  These 
are  all  honest  industries  which  are  openly  plied. 
Further  on  a  beer-house  stands  half-concealed  at  the 
corner  of  a  dark  alley.  The  Egyptian  is  sober  as  a 
rule,  but  when  he  allows  himself  ‘  a  good  day,’  he  never 


Fig.  23. — The  Carpenter’s 
Adze. 


THE  MARKET  AND  THE  SHOPS. 


29 


deprives  himself  of  the  pleasure  of  drinking,  and  has 
no  objection  to  intoxication.  The  beer-house,  openly 
frequented  by  some,  secretly  by  others,  always  has  an 
excellent  trade  ;  if  the  publicans  be  not  as  much  re¬ 
spected  as  oilier  tradesmen,  they,  at  least,  prosper  well. 

The  reception-room  has  been  freshly  limewashed. 
It  is  furnished  with  mats,  stools,  and  armchairs, 
upon  which  the  habitual  customers  sit  side  by  side, 
fraternally  drinking  beer,  wine,  palm  brandy  ( shoclou ), 
cooked  and  perfumed  liquors,  which  would  probably 
seem  detestable  to  us,  but  for  which  the  Egyptians 
display  a  strong  taste.  The  wine  is  preserved  in 


Fig.  24. — Women  at  a  Loom. 


large  amphorae,  pitched  outside  and  closed  with  a 
wooden  or  clay  stopper,  over  which  some  mud  is  laid, 
painted  blue  and  then  stamped  with  the  name  of  the 
owner  or  of  the  reigning  Pharaoh.  An  inscription 
in  ink,  traced  upon  the  jar,  indicates  the  origin  and 
the  exact  date  of  the  wine:  The  year  XXIII,  im¬ 
ported  wine,  The  year  XIX,  wine  of  Bouto,  and  so  on. 
There  is  wine  of  ecery  variety,  white  and  red:  wine 
from  Mareotis,  wine  from  Pelusium,  wine  Star  of 
Horns,  master  of  heaven ;  native  growths  from  the  Oasis, 
wines  of  Syena,  without  counting  the  wines  from 


30 


THE  MARKET  AND  THE  SHOPS. 


Ethiopia,  nor  the  golden  wines  which  the  Phoenician 
galleys  bring  from  Syria.  Beer  has  always  been  the 
favourite  beverage  of  the  people.  It  is  made  with  a 
mash-tub  of  barley  steeped  in  water,  and  raised  by 
fermented  crumbs  of  bread.  When  freshly  made,  it  is 
soft  and  pleasant  to  the  taste,  but  it  is  easily  disturbed 
and  soon  turns  sour.  Most  of  the  vinegar  used  in 
Egypt  is  not  wine  vinegar,  but  a  vinegar  made  from 
beer.  This  defect  is  obviated  by  adding  an  infusion  of 
lupine  to  the  beer,  which  gives  it  a  certain  bitterness  and 
preserves  it.  Sweet  beer,  iron  beer,  sparkling  beer, 
perfumed  beer,  spiced  beer — cold  or  hot,  beer  of  thick, 
sticky  millet,  like  that  prepared  in  Nubia  and  amongst 
the  negroes  of  the  Upper  Nile.  The  beer- houses  con¬ 
tain  stores  of  as  many  varieti  s  of  beer  as  of  different 
qualities  of  wine. 

If  you  enter,  you  are  scarcely  seated  before  a  slave 
or  a  maid-servant  hastens  forward  and  accosts  you  : 
‘  Drink  unto  rapture,  let  it  be  a  good  day,  listen  to  the 
conversation  of  thy  companions  and  enjoy  thyself.’ 
Every  moment  the  invitation  is  renewed :  ‘  Drink,  do 
not  turn  away,  for  I  will  not  leave  thee  until  thou  hast 
drunk.’  The  formula  changes,  but  the  refrain  is 
always  the  same — (/rink,  drink,  and  again,  drink.  The 
regular  customers  do  not  hesitate  to  reply  to  these  in¬ 
vitations  by  jokes,  usually  of  a  most  innocent  kind  : 
‘  Come  now,  bring  me  eighteen  cups  of  wine  with  thine 
own  hand.  I  will  drink  till  I  am  happy,  and  the  mat 
under  me  is  a  good  straw  bed  upon  which  I  can  sleep 
myself  sober.’*  They  discuss  together  the  different 
effects  produced  by  wine  and  beer.  The  wine  enlivens 
and  produces  benevolence  and  tenderness ;  beer  makes 
men  dull,  stupefies  them,  and  renders  them  liable  to 
fall  into  brutal  rages.  A  man  tipsy  from  wine  falls  on 
his  face,  hut  any  one  intoxicated  by  beer  falls  and  lies 

*  The  remarks  of  the  drinkers  are  taken  from  a  scene  of  a  funeral 
meal  in  the  tomb  of  Ranni,  at  El-Kab.  I  have  paraphrased  them  in 
order  to  render  them  intelligible  to  the  modern  reader. 


THE  MARKET  AND  THE  SHOPS. 


31 


on  his  hack.  The  moralists  reprove  these  excesses,  and 
cannot  find  words  strong  enough  to  express  the  danger 
of  them.  Wine  first  loosens  the  tongue  of  man,  even 
wresting  from  him  dangerous  words,  and  afterwards  it 
prostrates  him,  so  that  he  is  no  longer  capable  of  de¬ 
fending  his  own  interests.  ‘  Do  not,  therefore,  forget 
thyself  in  the  breweries  ;  he  afraid  that  words  may 
come  back  to  thee  that  thou  hast  uttered,  without 
knowing  that  thou  hast  spoken.  When  at  last  thou 
fallest,  thy  limbs  failing  thee,  no  one  will  help  thee 
thy  boon  companions  will  leave  thee,  saying,  “  Beware 
of  him,  he  is  a  drunkard  !  ”  Then  when  thou  art 
wanted  for  business,  thou  art  found  prone  upon  the 
earth  like  a  little  child.’  Young  men  especially  should 
avoid  this  shameful  vice,  for  ‘  beer  destroys  their  souls.’ 
He  that  abandons  himself  to  drink  ‘is  like  an  oar  broken 
from  its  fastening,  which  no  longer  obeys  on  either  side  ; 
he  is  like  a  chapel  without  its  god,  like  a  house  without 
bread,  in  which  the  wall  is  wavering  and  the  beam 
shaking.  The  people  that  he  meets  in  the  street  turn 
away  from  him,  for  he  throws  mud  and  hoots  after 
them,’  until  the  police  interfere  and  carry  him  away 
to  regain  his  senses  in  prison. 

Some  are  going  to  market,  others  coming  from  it ; 
the  crowd  is  divided  into  two  streams  of  almost  equal 
force,  which  meet  at  the  street  corners,  blend  together, 
or  cross  each  other,  showing,  as  they  pass  onward,  a 
thousand  varieties  of  costume  and  type.  Nothing  can 
be  more  mixed  than  the  population  of  a  great  Egyptian 
city.  Every  year  thousands  of  slaves  are  brought  into 
it  by  the  fortunes  of  war,  its  commerce  attracts  mer¬ 
chants  from  all  quarters  of  the  globe,  and  the  foreign 
elements,  perpetually  absorbed  in  the  old  native  popu¬ 
lation,  form  hybrid  generations  in  which  the  features 
of  the  most  opposite  races  are  blended,  and  ultimately 
lost.  Amongst  twenty  officers  or  functionaries  who 
surround  Pharaoh,  perhaps  ten  are  of  Syrian,  Berber, 
and  Ethiopian  origin,  and  Pharaoh  himself  has  in  his 


32 


THE  MARKET  AND  THE  SHOPS. 


veins  the  blood  of  Nubian  and  Asiatic  princesses,  whom 
the  fortunes  of  war  have  introduced  into  the  harems  of 
bis  ancestors.  Dark  skins  predominate  in  the  streets  ; 
Egyptian  fellahs  burnt  by  the  sun  and  inclining 
towards  red  ochre,  Nubians  the  colour  of  smoked 
bronze,  negroes  from  the  Upper  Nile,  almost  nude  but 
for  the  short  cotton  drawers  round  the  loins  ;  here  and 
there  a  soldier  of  the  Shairetana  guard,  or  a  Ivhita 
from  the  gorges  of  the  Taurus,  is  rendered  conspicuous 
amongst  the  surrounding  crowd  by  his  fair  complexion. 

Citizens,  newly  shaved  and  painted, 
with  curled  wigs,  folded  cloak  and 
floating  skirts,  bare-footed  or  wearing 
peaked  sandals,  are  gravely  wending 
their  way  to  business,  a  long  cane 
in  one  hand  (Fig.  25).  A  priest 
passes  with  shaven  head,  draped  in 
a  white  mantle.  A  chariot  drawn 
by  two  horses  leisurely  makes  its 
way  through  the  crowed.  Ladies  of 
good  family  are  bargaining  in  the 
shops  in  groups  of  three  or  four. 
They  wear  above  the  close-fitting 
smock-frock  a  long  dress  of  fine 
linen,  starched,  gauffered,  but  al- 
Fig.  25.— An  Egyptian  most  transparent,  which  covers 
Citizen.  rather  than  veils  the  form. 

Suddenly  a  great  noise  is  heard 
at  one  end  of  the  street,  the  crowd  is  violently 
opened,  and  about  a  hundred  workmen,  shouting, 
gesticulating,  their  bodies  and  faces  covered  with  clay 
and  mortar,  force  their  way  through,  dragging  in  the 
midst  of  them  three  or  four  frightened,  piteous-looking 
scribes.  These  are  the  masons  employed  in  the 
new  buildings  of  the  temple  of  Mut,  who  have 
just  gone  on  strike,  and  are  now  on  their  way  to 
lay  their  grievances  before  Psarou,  the  count-governor 
of  the  city,  and  general  superintendent  of  the  king’s 


THE  MARKET  AND  THE  SHOPS. 


33 


works.  These  small  riots  are  not  rare,  they  spring 
from  misery  and  hunger.  As  we  know,  the  greater 
portion  of  the  wages  consists  of  wheat,  dhoura,  oil,  and 
rations  of  food,  which  the  masters  usually  distribute 
on  the  first  day  of  every  month,  and  which  ought  to  last 
until  the  first  of  the  month  following.  The  quantity 
allotted  to  each  man  would  certainly  suffice  if  it  were 
economically  used ;  but  what  is  the  use  of  preaching 
economy  to  people  who  reach  home  in  a  famished  con¬ 
dition,  after  a  day  of  hard  work  in  which  they  have 
only  eaten  two  cakes,  seasoned  with  a  little  muddy 
water,  about  twelve  o’clock  ?  During  the  first  days  of 
the  month,  the  family  satisfy  their  hunger  without 
sparing  the  provisions ;  towards  the  middle  the  por¬ 
tions  diminish  and  complaints  begin ;  during  the  last 
week  famine  ensues  and  the  work  suffers.  If  we  con¬ 
sult  the  official  registers  of  the  scribes  in  the  workyards, 
or  simply  the  books  of  the  overseers,  wre  shall  find 
notes  in  the  end  of  each  month  of  frequent  idleness, 
and,  at  times,  of  strikes  produced  by  the  weakness  and 
hunger  of  the  workmen. 

On  the  10th  of  last  month,  the  workmen  employed 
at  the  temple  of  Mut,  having  nothing  left,  rushed  from 
the  workyard  in  a  tumult,  went  to  a  chapel  of 
Thothmes  III.  which  stands  near,  and  sat  down  behind 
it,  saying,  ‘We  are  hungry,  and  there  are  still  eighteen 
days  before  next  month.’  Is  their  pay  insufficient,  or 
have  they  eaten  their  supplies  unreasonably  quickly  ? 
According  to  their  own  accounts,  the  scribes  give  them 
short  measure  and  enrich  themselves  by  the  robbery. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  scribes  accuse  the  poor  fellows 
of  improvidence,  and  assert  that  they  squander  their 
wages  as  soon  as  they  l’eceive  them.  Ho  one  could  be 
astonished  if  both  scribes  and  masons  were  found  to  be 
right.  The  malcontents  were  scarcely  outside  when 
the  superintendent  of  the  works  hastened  up,  accom¬ 
panied  by  a  police  officer,  and  began  to  parley  with 
them.  ‘  Go  back,  and  wre  solemnly  swear  that  we  will 
4 


34 


THE  MARKET  AND  THE  SHOPS. 


ourselves  lead  you  to  Pharaoh,  'when  he  comes  to 
inspect  the  works  of  the  temple.’ 

Two  days  later  Pharaoh  came,  and  the  scribe 
Pentoirit  went  to  him  with  the  police  officer.  The 
prince,  after  listening  to  them,  graciously  delegated 
one  of  the  scribes  of  his  suite,  and  some  of  the  priests 
of  the  temple,  to  have  an  interview  with  the  workmen. 
The  latter  presented  their  request  in  excellent  terms. 
‘W  e  come,  pursued  by  hunger,  pursued  by  thirst ;  we 
have  no  more  clothes,  no  more  oil,  no  more  fish 
cr  vegetables.  Tell  this  to  Pharaoh,  our  master — tell 
this  to  Pharaoh,  our  sovereign — that  we  may  receive 
the  means  of  living.’  Pharaoh,  touched  by  their 
misery,  ordered  fifty  sacks  of  corn  to  be  distributed 
amongst  them,  and  this  unexpected  windfall  enabled 
them  to  wait  for  the  end  of  the  month  without  too 
much  suffering.  The  first  days  of  Ephipi  passed  fairly 
quietly,  but  on  the  loth  the  provisions  fell  short,  and 
the  discontent  recommenced.  On  the  16th  the  men 
stopped  work,  and  remained  idle  on  the  17th  and  18th. 
On  the  19th  the  men  endeavoured  to  leave  the  work- 
yard  in  the  morning,  but  the  scribe  Pentoirit,  who 
overlooked  them,  had  secretly  doubled  the  guard,  and 
had  taken  his  precautions  so  wisely  that  the  workmen 
could  not  get  outside  the  gates.  They  passed  the  whole 
day  consulting  and  plotting-  together  in  small  groups. 
At  last,  this  morning,  at  sunrise  they  assembled  at  the 
foot  of  an  unfinished  wall,  and  seeing  the  superintendent 
of  the  works  coming  to  make  his  rounds  they  rushed 
towards  him  and  surrounded  him,  making  a  great 
noise.  Yainly  he  endeavoured  to  calm  them  with 
gentle  words :  they  would  not  listen.  Their  shouts 
attracted  other  officials  and  several  of  the  priests  of 
Mut ;  the  workmen  immediately  hastened  towards 
them,  and  appealed  to  the  superintendent  to  explain 
the  matter.  ‘  By  Amen,’  they  said,  ‘  by  the  sovereign 
whose  rage  destroys,  we  will  not  go  back  to  work ! 
You  can  tell  this  to  your  superiors,  who  are  assembled 


THE  MARKET  AXI)  THE  SHOPS. 


85 


down  there.’  At  last,  tired  of  protesting  and  of  ob¬ 
taining  nothing,  they  suddenly  decided  to  go  to  the 
Governor  of  Thebes,  and  to  appeal  to  him  for  justice. 

The  distance  is  not  great  between  the  temple  of  Mut 
and  the  house  of  Psarou  ;  ten  minutes’  walk  through 
the  streets,  not  without  exchanging  some  blows  with 
the  crowd,  which  did  not  make  way  quickly  enough, 
and  the  rioters  have  reached  the  gate.  It  opens  in  a 
long,  low,  crenellated  wall,  above  which  a  large  acacia 
lifts  its  leafy  head,  and  it  gives  access  to  a  large  court¬ 
yard  surrounded  with  buildings  (Fig.  26).  On  the  left 
stands  the  master’s  dwelling,  built  of  freestone  ;  it  is 
narrow  and  bare,  consist¬ 


ing  of  a  rather  high 
ground-floor,  surmounted 
by  two  stories  and  a 
terrace  ;  in  the  centre  are 
two  granaries  for  corn, 
rounded  at  the  top ;  on  the 


extreme  right  is  a  laige  Fig.  26. — The  House  of  Psaron, 
vaulted  cellar.  The  door-  sten  from  the  Street, 

keeper  had  put  up  the 

safety  bars  at  the  first  noise,  but  the  swing-doors 
yield  under  the  strong  pressure  from  without.  The 
whole  band  simultaneously  enters  the  court  and 
waits  there,  a  little  uncertain  what  to  do  next. 
However,  Psarou  hurries  forward,  and  his  appearance 
alone  suffices  to  impress  the  men,  trained  from  infancy 
to  bow  before  a  master.  At  last  one  of  them  decides 
to  speak  ;  the  others  applaud,  timidly  at  first,  then  they 
become  excited  at  the  tale  of  their  sufferings.  They 
refuse  to  listen  when  the  governor  endeavours  to  soothe 
them  with  promises.  Words  are  no  longer  sufficient, 
they  clamour  loudly  for  actions.  ‘  Will  the  over¬ 
seers  give  us  some  corn  in  addition  to  the  distribution 
already  made  ?  If  not,  we  will  not  move  from  here.’ 
At  this  moment  a  slave  makes  his  way  through  the 
crowd  and  softly  warns  Psarou  that,  Pharaoh  left  the 


36 


THE  MARKET  AND  THE  SHOPS. 


palace  a  quarter  of  an  hour  ago,  that  he  is  going 
towards  the  temple  of  Amen,  and  will  pass  the  house ; 
in  fact,  his  escort  has  already  reached  the  neighbouring 
street.  Pharaoh  coming  upon  a  riot !  Pharaoh 
himself  hearing  the  workmen’s  complaints !  Psarou 
rapidly  decides  upon  his  movements,  and,  interrupting 
the. discussion,  calls  his  steward,  Khamoi'sit:  ‘See  how 
much  corn  there  is  in  the  granaries  and  give  it  to  the 
men!’  Then,  turning  to  the  others:  ‘Go  at  once  to 
the  granaries  with  Khamoi'sit  and  take  what  he  gives 
you.’  The  crowd,  not  knowing  the  motive  of  this 
sudden  decision,  attributes  it  to  an  impulse  of  natural 
generosity,  and  loudly  expresses  its  thanks  and  praises. 
‘  Thou  art  our  father,  and  we  are  thy  sons ! — Thou 
art  the  old  man’s  staff,  the  nurse  of  the  children,  the 
helper  of  the  distressed  ! — Thou  art  a  warm  shelter  for 
all  who  are  cold  in  Thebes ! — Thou  art  the  head  of  the 
afflicted,  that  never  fails  the  people  of  our  land!’ 
There  is  a  profusion  of  thanks  and  gratitude.  Psarou 
cuts  these  protestations  short,  hastens  the  departure  of 
the  men,  and  does  not  breathe  freely  until  the  last  of 
the  strikers  has  disappeared  behind  the  granaries  with 
Khamoi'sit.  In  five  minutes  the  court  is  empty,  and 
the  street  has  resumed  its  usual  appearance :  Pharaoh 
may  come. 


CHAPTER  III. 

PHARAOH. 

A  royal  costume — Pharaoh  goes  to  the  temple  —  Pharaoh  is  a  god 
upon  eaith,  a  son  of  Ea — The  dream  of  Queen  Moutemouait  — 
The  four  names  of  Pharaoh — The  double  and  the  hawk’s  names 
—  Pharaoh  is  adored  as  a  god  during  his  lifetime — His  cabinet 
council :  Kameses  II.  and  the  gold  mines — The  insignia  of 
Pharaoh  and  his  double  royalty  —  Pharaoh  is  the  intermediary 
between  earth  and  heaven  —  The  connexion  with  the  gods:  dream 
of  Thothmes  IV.  —  Pharaoh’s  escoit  and  his  passage  through  the 
streets. 

The  king  of  the  two  Epypts,  Ousirmari-sotpounri,  son 
of  tlie  Sun,  Ramsisou-Miainoun,  who,  like  the  sun,  gives 
life  eternally — usually  called  Sesousri  (Sesostris)  by  his 
subjects — is  anxiously  expecting  the  arrival  of  a  courier 
from  Syria.  The  last  accounts  received  from  that 
country  were  bad.  The  royal  messengers  who  go  there 
every  year  to  collect  the  tribute  complain  of  being  in¬ 
sulted,  even  ill-treated,  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  great 
cities  ;  bands  of  the  Shasu,*  posted  in  the  gorges  of 
Lebanon,  have  recommenced  robbing  the  caravans  from 
Babylon  and  Khaloupou  ;f  the  princes  of  Zahi  and 
Amaourcu  are  drilling  their  militia  and  hastily  re¬ 
pairing  the  walls  of  their  fortresses ;  lastly,  Motour, 
the  old  king  of  the  Khita,  has  mysteriously  disappeared 
in  some  palace  revolution,  and  his  successor,  Ehitasir, 
seems  little  inclined  to  respect  treaties.  Pharaoh,  more 
anxious  than  he  cares  to  own,  has  therefore  resolved 

*  The  Shasu  are  the  Syrian  Bedouins. 

+  Khnloupou  is  the  ancient  name  of  Ehilibu  Men. 


■38 


PIIARAOH. 


this  very  morning  to  go  to  the  temple  of  Amen,  in 
order  to  see  the  god  and  to  consult  with  him.  He 
wears  a  state  costume  suitable  to  the  occasion :  short 
drawers  of  pleated  linen  gauze,  ornamented  at  the  back 
by  a  jackal’s  tail,  and  in  front  by  a  kind  of  stiff  apron 
of  gold  and  coloured  enamel,  a  long  robe  of  fine  linen, 
with  short  sleeves,  peaked  sandals,  a  head-dress  of 
white,  striped  with  red,  ornamented  with  the  uraeus 
Hig.  2 1 .)  His  equerry,  Menni,  waited  for  him  in  the 

great  court  of  the  palace, 
ready  to  drive  him  as  usual. 
Raineses  dismisses  him  with 
a  gesture,  and  seizing  the 
reins  with  a  firm  hand,  he 
springs  into  the  chariot.  The 
large  folding  gates  of  the 
palace  are  at  once  thrown 
open,  and  the  king  drives 
through  them  at  a  gallop,  or, 
to  use  the  correct  expression, 

‘  shows  himself  under  the  gate¬ 
way  of  lapis-lazuli  like  the 
sun  when  he  rises  in  the 
morning  in  the  eastern  hori¬ 
zon  of  heaven  to  inundate  the 
world  with  his  rays.’ 

He  is  not  compared  to  the 
sun  without  some  reason  for 
such  a  title  Ra,  who  created 
the  world,  w’as  also  the  first  sovereign  of  Egypt  and  the 
ancestor  of  all  the  Pharaohs.  Since  he  quitted  this 
earth  for  heaven  his  royalty  was  directly  transmitted 
to  the  gods,  from  the  gods  to  the  heroes,  from  the 
heroes  to  Mcnes,  and  from  Menes  to  the  historic 
dynasties.  However  far  back  the  history  of  the  past 
may  be  traced,  the  genealogical  chain  remains  unbroken 
between  the  present  Itameses  and  the  Sun;  the  Pharaoh 
is  always  a  son  of  Ra,  and  through  successive  sons  of 


PHARAOH. 


39 


Ea  we  at  last  reach  Ea  himself.  It  is  said  that  he 
sometimes  condescends  to  come  amongst  ns  and  to 
personally  secure  the  direct  succession  of  his  house. 
Tradition  relates  that  the  three  first  kings  of  the  fifth 
dynasty,  TJserkaf,  Sahu-ra,  and  Iiaka,  were  horn  from 
his  union  with  ihe  wife  of  a  priest,  in  the  small  town 
of  Sakhibou.  Nearer  to  our  own  time,  we  know  from 
authentic  sources  that  he  intervened  directly  in  the 
case  of  Thothmes  IY.  to  give  him  the  son  he  wanted. 
One  night  when  the  Queen  Moutemouait  wras  sleeping 
in  the  most  beautiful  room  in  her  palace  she  suddenly 
awoke  and  saw  her  husband  by  her  side,  then  a  few 
minutes  after  —  was  it  a  dream,  or  reality? — the 
brilliant  figure  of  the  Theban  Amen.  As  she  cried 
out  in  alarm,  the  apparition  predicted  to  her  the  birth 
of  a  son,  who  should  reign  over  Thebes,  and  then 
vanished  in  a  cloud  of  perfume  sweeter  and  more  pene¬ 
trating  than  all  the  perfumes  of  Arabia.  The  child, 
who  was  afterwards  Amenophis  III.,  became  famous 
as  one  of  the  most  glo  rious  sovereigns  of  his  time.  He 
killed  one  hundred  and  twelve  great  lions  in  ten  years, 
subjugated  the  tribes  of  Ethiopia  to  the  southern  ex- 
temities  of  our  earth,  kept  the  Syrians,  Phoenicians, 
Cyprus  and  the  isles  of  the  sea,  the  Ivhita,  and  all  the 
peoples  of  the  North,  in  a  state  of  subjection,  received 
the  homage  of  Nineveh  and  Babylon,  repaired  the  old 
temples  of  Thebes  and  built  new  ones.  Ilis  funeral 
chapel  is  the  most  beautiful  of  those  in  the  place  of 
tombs  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Nile,  and  the  two  granite 
colossi  which  flank  its  door  are  second  in  grandeur  to 
the  gigantic  Sphinx  of  the  Pyramids  only.*  The 
temple  that  he  erected  at  Luxor  in  honour  of  Amen  is 
a  commemorative  monument  of  the  events  that  pre¬ 
ceded  his  birth.  A  picture  may  still  be  seen,  in  a  room 

*  The  chapel  is  destroyed,  but  the  colossi  are  still  standing.  One 
of  them,  the  most  mutilated,  is  the  celebrated  statue  of  the  JUemiion, 
which  sings  at  daybreak.  Roman  tourists  went  to  hear  the  voice 
when  they  visted  Thebes,  during  the  first  two  centuries  of  our  eia. 


40 


PHARAOH. 


adjoining  the  sanctuary,  in  which  the  nocturnal  inter¬ 
view  of  the  queen  and  the  god  is  vividly  represented. 
As  a  rule,  the  personal  intervention  of  Ea  or  of  one 
of  the  forms  derived  from  him  is  unnecessary.  The 
divine  blood  which  flows  in  the  royal  v'eins  is  trans¬ 
mitted  by  natural  inheritance  to  ail  his  children,  and 
if  sons  be  lacking,  daughters  can  transmit  it ;  for  even 
if  the  husband  be  the  lowest  of  slaves,  their  children 
are  born  sons  and  daughters  of  Ea,  and  they  can  be¬ 
come  kings  through  their  mother. 

In  assuming  the  royal  diadem,  Pharaoh  does  not 
lose  the  name  he  received  as  a  royal  prince.  He  was 
Amenopliis,  Thothmes,  Eameses,  Harmhabi ;  and  con¬ 
tinues  to  bear  the  same  name,  adding  to  it  an  epithet, 
Miamoun,  the  beloved  of  Amen  ;  Hiq-oisit,  the  Eegent 
of  Thebes ;  Menephthah,  the  friend  of  Ptah.  Since, 
however,  it  was  necessary  that  his  change  of  position 
should  be  A’isible  to  all  men,  a  flat-bottomed  elliptic 
oval,  which  we  call  a  cartouche,  is  traced  round  the 
name  of  Eameses  or  of  Amenopliis,  before  it  is  placed 
the  title  Si-ra,  son  of  Ea,  which  marks  his  solar  de¬ 
scent,  behind  it  an  unvarying  formula,  in  which  he  is 
complimented  upon  being  the  eternal  life-giver,  like 
Ea  himself ;  this  assemblage  of  words  is  henceforth 
inseparable  and  forms  his  usual  name,  the  title  which 
his  subjects  habitually  use,  and  by  which  he  is  known 
in  history. 

The  first  kings  were  content  with  this,  even  the 
haughtiest  amongst  them  —  Menes,  Seneferu,  Kheops, 
Mykerinos ;  but  towards  the  end  of  the  fifth  dynasty 
the  custom  was  established  of  adding  to  this  birth- 
name  a  coronation  title,  which  was  also  surrounded  by 
a  cartouche.  This  was  always  a  short  phrase  formed  of 
three  words,  expressing  that  quality  or  privilege  of  Ea 
that  was  most  desired  for  the  new  sovereign  during  his 
sojourn  upon  earth.  For  instance,  the  surname  of 
Thothmes  III.,  Menkhopirri,  signifies  Steadfast  is  Ha, 
and  that  of  Amenopliis  III.,  Nibmaoutri,  Ra  is  the 


PHARAOH. 


41 


Master  of  Truth.  Seti  I.,  the  father  of  Raineses  II., 
was  entitled  Menmatri,  The  Sun  is  steadfast  through 
Truth;  and  Raineses II.  joined  to  Ousirmari,  The  Sun 
is  powerful  through  Truth,  the  epithet  Sotpouniri,  elected 
by  the  Sun.  There  is  little  variation  in  the  formulas 
adopted  by  the  different  princes  of  the  same  branch  of 
the  solar  line,  and  the  surnames  of  each  dynasty  bear 
a  strong  family  resemblance  that  cannot  be  mistaken. 
That  of  Thothmes  I.  was  Aldiopirkeri,  Great  is  the  soul 
of  Ra  :  Thothmes  II.  the  son  of  Thothmes  I.  substituted 
the  preposition  in  for  the  word  ha,  soul,  and  assumed 
the  title  of  Akhopirniri,  Great  is  Ra.  Thothmes  III., 
who  succeeded  Thothmes  II.,  suppressed  the  preposi¬ 
tion  and  changed  the  term  da,  to  be  great,  for  the 
term  men,  to  be  durable,  Menkhopirri ;  but  his  son, 
Amenophis  II.,  returned  to  the  ideas  expressed  by  da, 
but  placed  the  word  Khopri,  being,  in  the  plural,  Akho- 
prouri,  Great  are  the  ways  of  Ra.  Lastly,  Thothmes  IV. 
adopted  his  grandfather’s  surname  with  the  plural  of 
Khopir,  Menkhoprouri,  Stable  are  the  ways  of  Ra  * 

This  is  not  all :  the  full  title  of  each  Pharaoh  com¬ 
mences  by  a  third  name,  which  is  recognised  by  the 
oblong  rectangle  which  surrounds  it.  This  rectangle 
is  terminated  at  the  lower  part  by  a  collection  of  lines 
which  represent  a  monumental  facade,  in  the  midst  of 
which  a  bolted  gate  can  sometimes  be  distinguished. 
Above  is  a  figure  of  a  hawk  wearing  a  double  crown 
and  the  solar  disk.  Kheops  here  called  himself  Hor 
raaziti,  Horns,  who  crushes  the  enemies ;  Thothmes  III., 
Hor  ka-naktou  kha-m-mait,  Horus,  the  strong  bull  who 
rises  through  the  Truth ;  Rameses  II.,  Hor  ka-nakhtou 
miri-mait,  Horus,  the  strong  bull  who  loves  the  Truth 
(Fig.  28).  "We  read,  at  the  end  of  the  third  name,  a 
series  of  epithets  which  again  commence  by  a  hawk, 

*  The  English  forms  of  these  titles  are :  Thothmes  I.,  Raakhe- 
perka ;  Thothmes  II.,  Raaktieperen ;  Thothmes  III.,  Ramenkheper ; 
Amenophis  II.,  Raakheperoo  ;  Thothmes  IV.,  Ramenklieperoo ; 
Amenophis  III.,  Ramantb ;  Seti  I.,  Ramenma  ;  Rameses  II.,  Ran- 
aerma-sotf'penra. 


PHARAOH. 


42 


Fig.  28. — The  names 
of  -Kameses  II. 


but  by  a  hawk  placed  over  the  golden 
sign,  which  designates  the  living 
Horus,  Horns  the  conqueror.  The 
comparison  between  the  king  and  the 
Sun  is  then  continued.  Raineses  II. 
thus  boasts  of  being  the  golden  hatch, 
rich  in  years,  and  very  strong.  In 
short,  the  complete  designation  of  the 
Pharaohs  includes  four  parts,  always 
arranged  in  the  same  order :  two, 
which  may  be  called  the  hawks’  names, 
the  names  of  Horus,  and  two  which  bear 
the  royal  names  surrounded  by  a  car¬ 
touche.  The  scribes  also  insert  be¬ 
tween  them  as  many  phrases  as  the 
spirit  of  flattery  can  inspire,  and  as 
their  space  will  contain.  It  is  pro¬ 
bable  that  this  practice  is  favourably 
regarded  in  high  quarters,  but  the 
four  regulation  names  suffice  for  eti¬ 
quette,  and  by  themselves  express  the 
sovereign’s  personality.  This  person¬ 
ality  is  composed  of  two  parts,  like 
every  human  person  —  a  soul  and  a 
body.  The  cartouches  respond  to  the 
stages  through  which  the  body  has 
passed,  and  which  render  it  two 
distinct  beings.  The  name  takes  pos¬ 
session  of  the  man  upon  his  entry  into 
the  world,  and  establishes  his  identity 
from  the  commencement  to  the  end  of 
his  life ;  the  surname  follows  the  mo¬ 
ment  he  is  born  into  the  sovereignty, 
and  consecrates  the  aggrandisement  he 
acquires  in  wearing  the  crown.  The 
hawk  names  define  the  soul  and  its 
state.  The  Egyptians  imagine  that 
the  soul  is  a  subtile  double  of  the  man, 


PHARAOH. 


43 


which  exactly  reproduces  the  individual,  with  his  figure, 
colour,  gesture,  and  gait.  When  one  of  us  is  born  into 
this  world,  his  double,  or  to  give  it  the  native  name, 
the  Ka,  enters  it  with  him.  Since  this  double  is 
usually  invisible,  the  painters  and  sculptors  seldom 
represent  it ;  when  they  attempt  to  do  so,  they  depict 
it  as  the  exact  image  of  the  being  to  which  it  is 
attached.  The  pictures  at  Luxor,  in  which  Pharaoh 
Amenophis  III.  has  repro¬ 
duced  the  history  of  his  child¬ 
hood,  is  a  good  example  of  the 
fashion  in  which  it  should  be 
imagined  (Fig.  29).  Amenophis 
is  born,  and  his  double  is,  like 
himself,  an  infant,  whom  nurses 
cherish  with  the  same  care ; 
he  grows,  and  his  double  grows 
with  him.  The  double  faith¬ 
fully  accompanies  his  prototype 
through  all  the  vicissitudes  of 
his  earthly  existence.  After 
death  it  follows  him  to  the 
tomb,  and  dwells  there  near  the  mummy,  sometimes 
hidden  in  the  funeral  chambers,  sometimes-  escaping 
outside,  recognisable  at  night  by  a  pale  light,  which 
has  won  for  it  the  name  of  Luminous,  Khu. 

The  gods,  both  greatest  and  least,  have  a  double  as 
well  as  men,  only  they  can  divide  it  into  many  doubles, 
and  diffuse  it  over  as  many  bodies  as  they  like  without 
either  diminishing  or  weakening  it.  If  Pa,  Horus,  or 
Amen  choose  to  send  forth  one  of  their  own  doubles, 
the  object  into  which  it  enters — man  or  beast,  stone, 
tree,  or  statue — at  once  assumes  life,  and  participates  in 
the  nature  of  the  divinity  which  animates  it.  Every 
royal  soul  is  a  double  detached  from  Horus.  Whilst 
the  child  predestined  to  reign  is  still  a  prince  or  a 
princess,  the  double  of  Horus  slumbers  within  it,  and 
it  has  apparently  merely  the  same  soul  as  other  men. 


Fig.  29. — Amenophis  III.  and 
his  double :  the  double  is 
the  second  bguie. 


44 


PHARAOH. 


As  soon  as  the  youth  ascends  the  throne  and  acquires  the 
sovereignty,  the  double  awakens  in  him  and  transforms 
him  into  a  living  Horus,  incarnate  upon  earth.  The 
hawk  names  are  those  by  which  this  Horus  is  dis¬ 
tinguished  from  the  Horii  who  have  reigned  before 
him,  or  who  will  succeed  him  in  the  exercise  of  the 
supreme  power.  The  epithets  preceded  by  the  symbol 
of  the  conquering  Horus  depict  him  triumphant,  during 
the  term  of  his  royal  existence,  over  all  the  enemies  of 
Egypt,  just  as  Horus  formerly  overcame  all  the  mur¬ 
derers  of  his  father,  Osiris.  The  name  surrounded  by 
the  rectangle  is  the  part  of  Horus,  the  double,  destined 
to  survive  the  king.  The  rectangle  is  the  funeral 
chamber  in  which  he  will  one  day  rest,  and  the  closed 
door  is  the  door  of  the  tomb.  He  loses  none  of  his 
power  through  this  incarnation,  and  even  retains  the 
faculty  of  drawing  new  doubles  from  himself  and  of 
sending  them  to  a  distance  to  animate  other  bodies. 
Every  statue  of  the  king  has  one  of  these  doubles 
dwelling  in  it,  rendering  it  an  animated  effigy  of  the 
king,  in  spite  of  its  outward  immobility.  When 
Amenophis  III.  built  the  temple  of  Soleb  in  Nubia, 
he  wished  to  dwell  by  the  side  of  his  father  Amen. 
He  caused  a  statue  of  himself  to  be  hewn  out  of  rose- 
coloured  granite,  and  by  a  prayer  placed  one  of  his 
own  doubles  in  it ;  then  he  introduced  it  into  the 
sanctuary,  and  offered  before  it  the  worship  always 
celebrated  at  the  enthronement  of  the  gods.  Even 
now  we  see  him  upon  the  walls  of  the  temple,  adoring 
his  living  portrait.  The  double  once  linked  to  his 
stone  body  never  leaves  it  whilst  it  remains  intact ;  to 
restore  it  to  liberty  the  statue  must  be  broken. 

Pharaoh  is  then  really  a  visible  god,  a  god  become 
flesh.  He  is  called  the  good  god,  the  great  god,  the 
living  god,  and  no  one  approaches  him  without  offering 
the  words  and  honours  due  to  a  god.  When  he  wakes 
in  the  morning  he  is  the  rising  sun,  and  the  members 
of  his  household  salute  him  as  they  would  Ita.  ‘  Turn 


PHARAOH. 


45 


tliy  face  to  ine,  oh,  rising  Sun,  which  lightens  the 
world  with  thy  beauty ;  disk  sparkling  amongst  men, 
that  drivest  away  the  darkness  of  Egypt.  Thou  re¬ 
sembles!  thy  father  when  he  rises  in  heaven,  and  thy 
rays  penetrate  into  all  lands.  There  is  no  place 
deprived  of  thy  beauty,  for  thy  words  rule  the 
destinies  of  all  lands.  When  thou  art  resting  in  thy 
palace  thou  hearest  all  that  is  said  in  every  country, 
for  thou  hast  millions  of  ears.  Thine  eye  is  more 
brilliant  than  any  star  of  heaven,  and  sees  better  than 
the  sun.  If  any  one  speak,  even  if  the  mouth  that 
spcaketh  be  within  the  walls  of  a  house,  its  words 
reach  thine  ear.  If  any  hidden  action  be  committed, 
thine  eye  perceives  it,  oh  !  king,  gracious  lord,  who 
givest  to  all  the  breath  of  life.’* 

Each  movement,  each  official  act.  of  the  sovereign 
resembles  an  act  of  worship,  celebrated  midst  the  chant¬ 
ing  of  solemn  hymns.  If  he  grants  an  audience,  the 
subject  whom  he  admits  to  the  favour  of  gazing  upon 
his  face  approaches  him  with  a  formula  of  devout  ado¬ 
ration.  If  he  summons  a  council  for  any  business,  the 
nobles  of  the  kingdom  open  the  deliberation  by  a  kind  of 
religious  service  in  his  honour.  Imagine  Raineses  II. 
seated  upon  his  large  golden  throne,  wearing  a 
diadem  adorned  with  two  feathers,  seeking  for  some 
means  of  facilitating  the  access  of  caravans  to  the  gold 
mines  situated  in  Nubia,  between  the  Nile  and  the  Red 
Sea.  The  convoj^s  entrusted  with  the  carriage  of  the 
gold  humbly  complain  that  they  can  find  no  spring,  no 
pool,  on  the  road  they  are  forced  to  take.  ‘  One  half 
of  them,  with  their  asses,  die  of  thirst  upon  the  way, 
for  they  have  no  means  of  carrying  sufficient  water  for 
the  journey  there  and  back.’  The  councillors  enter  the 
presence  of  the  good  god,  their  arms  raised  in  an  adoring 
attitude;  they  fall  prostrate  upon  their  faces,  and  remain 

*  This  h.ynin  to  the  lunp  V  addressed  to  Minephthah  in  tl  e 
Papyrus  Auastusi ,  No.  IV.  ;  to  his  son  Seti  II.  in  the  Papyrus 
Anastasi,  No.  II. 


46 


PHARAOH. 


in  that  position  whilst  the  business  is  explained  to  them. 
The  desolate  aspect  of  the  country  is  graphically  de¬ 
scribed,  and  they  are  asked  whether  it  is  desirable  to 
dig  wells  at  intervals  along  the  road  ?  Their  reply 
is  not  long  deferred  :  ‘  Thou  resemblest  Ra  !  ’  they  all 
exclaim  together  ;  ‘  thou  resemblest  Ra  in  all  that  thou 
doest,  therefore  the  wishes  of  thine  heart  are  always 
fulfilled ;  if  thou  desire  something  during  the  night, 
at  dawn  it  is  already  there.  We  have  seen  many  mira¬ 
cles  that  thou  hast  accomplished  since  thou  hast  risen 
as  king  of  the  world,  and  we  hear  of  nothing,  our  eyes 
see  nothing  elsewhere  that  can  rival  them.  Every 
word  that  issues  from  thy  mouth  is  like  the  words  of 
Idarmachis !  *  Thy  tongue  weighs,  thy  lips  measure 
more  justly  than  the  truest  balance  ofThoth.fi  What 
is  unknown  to  thee  ?  Who  is  there  perfect  like  unto 
thee  ?  Where  is  the  spot  thou  canst-  not  see  ?  There 
is  no  foreign  country  that  thou  hast  not  visited,  and 
thine  activity  hastens  to  a  place  if  thine  ears  attract 
thine  attention  towards  it.  Now,  since  thou  art  the 
vicar  of  the  gods  in  this  country,  thou  rulest  its  des¬ 
tinies.  Still  in  embryo,  in  thy  dignity  as  child-heir, 
thou  wast  told  all  that  concerned  Egypt.  A  little  boy, 
with  the  tress  still  hanging  over  thy  temple,  no  monu¬ 
ment  was  built  without  thy  direction,  no  business 
transacted  without  thy  knowledge,  and  thou  wast  the 
supreme  head  of  the  soldiers.  A  youth  of  ten  years 
old,  all  the  public  works  were  made  by  thy  hand,  for 
thou  laidest  the  foundations  of  them.  If,  therefore,  thou 
sayest  to  the  water,  ‘  Come  up  upon  the  mountain,’ 
the  celestial  water  will  soon  flow  at  thy  word,  for  thou 
art  Ra  incarnate,  Kliepera  created  in  the  flesh;  thou  art 
the  living  image  of  thy  father  Turn,  lord  of  Ilelio- 

*  Horus  upon  the  morning  horizon  and  Horus  upon  the  evening 
horizon  :  sunrise  and  sunset. 

t  Thoth  weighed  the  actions  of  men  before  Osins:  he  watched 
that  the  scales  were  correct,  and  adjusted  tLe  bar  so  that  all  error 
should  be  avoided. 


PHARAOH. 


47 


polis;  the  god  who  commands  is  in  thy  mouth,  the 
god  of  wisdom  is  in  thine  heart,  thy  tongue  is  the 
sanctuary  of  Truth,  a  god  sits  upon  thy  lips,  thy  words 
are  accomplished  every  day,  and  the  wish  of  thine  heart 
realises  itself,  like  that  of  Ptah  when  he  creates  his 
works.  Since  thou  art  eternal,  everything  acts  ac¬ 
cording  to  thy  designs,  and  everything  obeys  thy 
words,  sire,  our  master!’ 

When  the  chorus  of  councillors  have  ended  their 
speech,  the  Viceroy  of  Ethiopia,  from  whom  the  gold 
mines  are  held,  speaks  in  his  turn:  *  The  land  is  there¬ 
fore  in  this  condition,  water  has  been  lacking  there 
since  the  reign  of  Ra  ;  the  people  die  of  thirst;  all  the 
preceding  kings  have  wished  to  dig  wells  there,  but 
their  efforts  have  failed;  the  King  Seti  I.  even  caused 
borings  to  be  made  for  a  well  to  a  depth  of  one  hun¬ 
dred  and  twenty  cubits,  but  it  was  left  unfinished 
because  no  water  was  found !  But  thou,  if  thou  sayest 
to  thy  father  the  Nile,  father  of  the  gods,  “  Raise  the 
water  to  the  height  of  the  mountain !  ”  he  will  obey 
thy  words,  even  as  all  thy  projects  have  been  accom¬ 
plished  in  our  presence,  although  no  one  had  ever 
heard  of  such  deeds,  even  in  the  songs  of  the  poets, 
for  thy  fathers,  the  gods,  love  thee  more  than  all  the 
kings  that  have  existed  since  Ra.’  Raineses,  convinced 
by  this  speech,  gives  his  orders,  labourers  are  set  to 
work,  and  a  well  is  dug  at  a  suitable  spot.*  This  is 
one  example  amongst  a  thousand  of  suitable  language 
to  be  used  when  any  one  has  the  perilous  honour  of 
raising  his  voice  in  Pharaoh’s  presence  ;  no  business, 
however  unimportant  it  may  be,  can  be  brought  before 
him  without  a  lengthy  memorandum  of  his  superhuman 
origin  and  of  his  personal  divinity. 

The  other  gods  reserve  heaven  for  themselves. 

*  These  speeches  and  the  history  of  the  well  are  taken  from  a 
stele  of  Rameses  II.,  dated  the  third  year  of  his  reign,  and  erected  at 
Kouban  at  the  entrance  of  the  road  which  leads  from  the  Nile  to  the 
mines  of  Etbaye. 


48 


PHARAOH. 


Pharaoh  possesses  the  earth ;  not  only  the  land  of 
Egypt,  but  the  whole  earth.  If,  beyond  the  valley  of 
the  Nile,  there  be  peoples  who  claim  to  be  independent, 
or  kings  who  refuse  to  bow  before  him,  they  are  rebels, 

‘  children  of  rebellion,’  who  will  be  punished  sooner 
or  later,  and  who  will  pay  for  their  hour’s  liberty  by 
eternal  ruin.  Their  chiefs  are  styled  vanquished, 
their  country  vile.  In  the  deeds  of  the  royal  chan¬ 
cellery  the  current  expression  for  the  prince  of  the 
Hittites  and  the  small  kingdoms  of  Ethiopia  is  the 
Conquered  Khita  and  Cush  the  vile.  But  the  earth  is 
not  integral  ;  it  is  divided  by  the  course  of  the  sun 
into  two  equal  parts,  or,  rather,  into  two  earths,  the 
Northern,  or  night  earth — the  Southern  earth,  or  earth 
of  day.  Egypt  is  the  same.  Tradition  relates  that  in 
the  ancient  days  it  was  at  first  a  single  empire,  over 
which  four  gods,  Pa,  Shu,  Sibou,  and  Osiris,  reigned  in 
turn.  Osiris  was  treacherously  killed  by  his  brother, 
Set ;  his  son,  Horns,  rose  against  the  assassin,  and  the 
war  raged  until  the  day  on  which  Sibou  made  an 
amicable  division  of  the  country  between  the  two  rivals. 
Set  received  the  valley,  Horus  the  Delta,  with  Mem¬ 
phis  as  its  capital,  and  each  of  these  two  halves  hence¬ 
forth  possessed  a  different  king  and  its  own  emblems. 
The  protecting  goddess  of  the  Delta  is  a  serpent, 
Uatchit ;  that  of  Said  a  vulture,  Nekhelbit.  The  crown 
of  the  North  is  red,  that  of  the  South  is  white. 
The  papyrus  was  the  symbolical  plant  of  the  North, 
the  lotus  that  of  the  South.  This  separation  into 
two  states  was  not  prolonged  beyond  the  divine 
dynasties  ;  since  Menes,  ‘  the  half  belonging  to  Horus 
and  the  half  belonging  to  Set  ’  have  always  been,  at 
least  theoretically,  governed  by  the  same  sovereign. 

In  truth,  the  union  is  purely  personal,  and  the  two 
Egypts  have  only  one  king,  without  ceasing  on  that 
account  to  be  two  distinct  Egypts.  The  sovereign  is 
the  king  of  the  South  and  the  king  of  the  North, 
the  master  of  the  Southern  vulture  and  of  the  pro- 


PHARAOH. 


49 


tecting  urscus.  II is  crown,  the  pschent,  is  a  com¬ 
posite  arrangement  of  tlie  red  and  white  diadems.  The 
lower  sides  of  his  throne  are  decorated  with  the  lotus 
and  papyrus  hound  together,  or  by  two  figures  of  the 
iN’ile  god,  who  hinds  the  two  symbolical  plants  together 
by  a  great  effort  of  the  legs  and  arms.  But,  instead  of 
the  unity  of  the  king  at  last  producing  the  unity  of 
the  country,  the  dualism  of  the  country  produced  an 
absolute  duplication  of  the  king,  of  ail  the  objects  that 
belonged  to  him,  and  of  all  the  departments  of  the  State. 
The  palace  is  formed  of  two  palaces  joined  together. 
It  is  therefore  called  I’iraoni,  the  ‘  double  great  house/ 
and  from  this  word  the  name  of  Pharaoh,  so  often 
heard  on  the  lips  of  the  people,  is  also  derived.  The 
Pgvptian  calls  his  master  ‘  The  double  great  house,’ 
as  others  call  their  sovereign  the  ‘  Sublime  Porte.’ 
The  royal  treasury  is  the  double  house  of  silver  and 
gold.  Each  of  the  granaries,  in  which  the  tax  -  re¬ 
ceivers  place  the  taxes  in  cereals,  is  the  double  granary. 
The  corn,  evui  when  gathered  in  the  same  field,  be¬ 
comes  the  corn  of  the  North  and  of  the  South.  During 
a  ceremony  Pharaoh  wears  the  crown  of  the  South,  and 
all  that  he  offers  to  the  gods  is  from  the  South,  even  to 
the  wine  and  the  incense  ;  a  few  minutes  later  he 
places  the  crown  of  the  North  upon  his  brow,  and 
offers  incense  and  wine  from  the  North.  Still,  his 
usual  insignia  are  those  of  the  gods,  his  parents.  Like 
them,  he  bears  the  animal-headed  sceptres,  the  hook, 
the  scourge,  the  feathered  head-dress,  the  two  flaming- 
horns,  the  emblem  of  light.  The  serpent  which  erects 
itself  upon  his  forehead,  the  uraeus  of  gold  or  gilded 
bronze  always  attached  to  his  head-dress,  is  impreg¬ 
nated  with  mysterious  life,  which  renders  it  the  in¬ 
strument  of  the  royal  anger  and  the  executioner  of 
secret  designs.  It  is  said,  that  it  vomits  flames  and 
destroys  in  battle  any  one  who  dares  to  attack  the 
king.  It  communicates  supernatural  virtues  to  the 
white  and  red  crowns,  and  changes  them  into  ma- 
5 


50 


PHARAOH. 


gicians  or  fairies  (oiritliaqaou) ,  whom  no  one  can 
resist. 

Man  by  bis  body,  god  by  bis  soul  and  by  bis  attri¬ 
butes,  through  liis  double  essence  Pharaoh  bolds  the 
priyilege  of  being  the  constant  intermediary  between 
heaven  and  earth.  lie  alone  has  naturally  the  position 
which  enables  him  to  transmit  to  the  gods,  bis  brothers, 
the  prayers  of  men.  When  any  one  wishes  to  influence 
the  invisibles  in  favour  of  a  living  or  of  a  dead  man, 
be  does  not  address  himself  directly  to  Osiris,  Ptab, 
or  Mentu,  for  the  request  would  not  reach  them ;  be 
takes  Pharaoh  for  bis  mediator,  and  offers  the  sacrifice 
through  his  hands.  His  personal  intervention  is  usually 
a  devout  fiction,  and  the  ritual  does  not  exact  it,  but 
the  ceremony  commences  with  the  proclamation  that 
the  King  gives  the  offering — Souton  di  hotpou — to  Osiris, 
to  Ptab,  to  Mentu,  in  order  that  these  gods  should 
grant  the  wishes  of  such-and-such  an  individual,  and 
this  declaration  replaces  the  fact.  Whenever  a  favour 
is  requested  from  a  god,  or  an  ex  voto  is  dedicated  to 
him,  the  suppliant  or  thanksgiver  shelters  himself  by 
using  the  king’s  invocation  ;  there  are  probably  not 
two  funeral  inscriptions  out  of  a  hundred  which  do  not 
commence  with  the  formula,  Souton  di  hotpou,  or  which 
do  not  contain  it.  The  gods,  on  their  side,  are  in 
perpetual  and  direct  communication  with  Pharaoh,  by 
all  the  means  at  their  disposal.  They  appear  to  him 
in  dreams,  to  counsel  him  to  make  war  against  various 
peoples,  to  forbid  him  to  take  part  in  a  battle,  to 
command  him  to  restore  a  monument  which  is  falling 
into  ruins.  Whilst  Thothmes  IY.  was  still  only  prince 
royal,  he  frequently  hunted  the  lion  and  gazelle  in 
that  part  of  the  desert  which  lies  to  the  west  of 
Memphis,  attended  by  only  one  servant.  One  day, 
when  accident  had  led  him  to  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Great  Pyramid,  he  placed  himself  for  the  midday  siesta 
beneath  the  shadow  of  the  great,  Sphinx,  the  image  of 
the  powerful  Khepera,  the  god  towards  whom  all  the 


PHARAOH. 


51 


houses  of  Memphis  and  all  the  cities  of  the  neighbour¬ 
hood  raise  their  hands-  in  adoration  and  make  their 
offerings.  The  Sphinx  was  at  that  time  more  than 
half  buried,  and  its  head  only  issued  from  the  sand 
(Fig.  30).  When  the  prince  was  asleep,  the  god  spoke 
to  him  as  a  father  to  his  son  :  ‘  Look  at  me,  contem¬ 
plate  me,  0  my  son  Thothmes,  for  I  am  thy  father, 
Harmarchis  Khepera  Tmu,  who  promises  the  sove¬ 
reignty  to  thee,  for  thou  shalt  wear  the  two  crowns, 


Fig.  30. — The  Great  Sphinx  buried  in  the  Sand. 


the  white  and  the  red,  upon  the  throne  of  Seb,  the 
sovereign  of  the  gods.*  The  sand  of  the  mountain  is 
covering  me  ;  recompense  me  for  all  my  blessings  by 
fulfilling  my  wishes.  1  know  that  thou  art  my  son, 
my  defender :  come  near,  I  am  with  thee,  I  am  thy 
beloved  father.’  The  prince,  when  he  awoke,  under¬ 
stood  that  the  god  had  foretold  his  future  royalty,  and 
had  requested  as  the  thank-offering  for  his  accession  the 
promise  that  his  statue  should  be  excavated.  As  soon 

*  Seb  is  the  Earth-god,  the  husband  of  Nut,  the  goddess  of  Heaven. 


52 


PHARAOH. 


as  lie  ascended  the  throne  Thothmes  remembered  his 
dream,  and  ordered  the  sand  to  be  cleared  away  from 
the  great  image.  The  stele  which  he  placed  between 
its  feet  is  still  visible,  and  relates  the  vision  to  all  who 
pass  by. 

The  prophetic  dream  is  not,  however,  the  method 
usually  employed  by  the  gods  in  manifesting  themselves 
to  Pharaoh  ;  their  statues  in  the  temples  serve  as  their 
interpreters.  Since  they  are  animated  by  one  of  their 
doubles,  they  can  speak  when  they  like.  Amen  raised 
his  voice  in  the  shadow  of  the  sanctuary  and  com¬ 
manded  the  queen,  Hatshepset,  to  send  a  fleet  to  the 
land  of  Punt,  to  fetch  incense  for  the  sacrifices.  As 
a  rule,  the  statues  do  not  speak  ;  they  content  them¬ 
selves  with  gestures.  When  questioned  upon  any 
subject,  if  no  movement  is  given  their  answer  is  nega¬ 
tive  ;  if,  on  the  other  band,  they  decidedly  bow  the 
head  twice,  the  affair  is  good  and  they  approve  of  it. 
When  Pharaoh  is  at  Memphis  he  consults  Ptah  ;  at 
Thebes  he  consults  Amen,  and  the  animated  statue  of 
Amen  decides  the  most  important  questions.  Ilameses, 
upon  reaching  the  Governor’s  house,  stops  for  a  moment, 
and  sends  a  message  by  one  of  the  chamberlains  who 
accompany  him :  ‘  Let  Psarou  come,  without  delay, 
to  deliberate  with  his  Majesty  upon  Syrian  affairs.’ 
Psarou  bows  low,  in  token  of  obedience,  gets  into  his 
chariot,  which  happens  to  be  already  harnessed,  and 
quickly  joins  the  procession  on  its  way  to  the  temple 
(Fig.  31).  Two  runners,  at  full  speed,  clear  the  road 
with  voice  and  gesture,  and  oblige  the  crowd  to  stand 
back  against  the  wall,  so  as  to  leave  a  passage  for  the 
sovereign.  Behind  them,  in  groups  with  their  officers, 
march  some  thirty  soldiers  of  different  regiments  of 
the  guard,  standard-bearer  and  fan-bearer,  mace-bearers 
carrying  the  long  scourge  of  war,  lancers  armed  with 
spear,  axe,  and  shield,  auxiliary  barbarians,  easily 
recognised  by  their  costume  and  complexion.  Pharaoh 
follows  them  alone  in  his  chariot,  a  little  in  advance 


I’i,r.  31,— Pharaoh  (Amenophia  IV  )  and  his  Escort. 


54 


PHARAOH. 


of  tlie  queen,  Nefertari  (Fig.  32).  She  is  still  a 
young  woman,  with  delicate,  regular  features,  already 
faded  and  wrinkled  under  her  powder.  Like  her 
husband,  she  wears  a  long  robe,  its  folds,  through  the 
rapid  motion,  floating  behind  her.  A  large  escort  of 
princes  and  great  dignitaries  follow  the  royal  pair, 
their  number  being  continually  augmented  by  fresh 
arrivals.  Every  one  carries  a  fan,  and  stands  in  a 
chariot  driven  by  a  groom.  The  crowd  cheers 


Fig.  32. — The  Queen  in  her  Cliaiiot  behind  Pharaoh. 


Pharaoh  as  he  passes,  and  tries  to  guess  the  reason 
of  his  morning’s  drive.  ‘He  is  going  to  offer  sacrifice 
to  Mut!’  ‘He  is  going  to  inaugurate  the  chapel  of 
Chonsu!’  ‘A  messenger  has  arrived  from  Syria! ’  ‘A 
post  has  arrived  from  Ethiopia!’  Pharaoh,  however, 
pursues  his  way,  careless  of  the  emotion  he  excites. 
In  a  few  minutes  he  turns  to  the  right,  enters  an 
avenue  bordered  with  sphinxes  of  sandstone,  and  the 
temple  of  Amen  rises  before  him,  dwarfing  the  sur¬ 
rounding  houses  by  its  size. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

AMEN,  THE  GREAT  GOD  OF  THEBES. 

The  temple  is  Ihe  lituse  of  god — Hi&lory  of  the  tiniple  of  Amen  at 
Thebes- — The  king  in  the  byposiyle  hall — Amen  the  judge  as  the 
last  resort  —  Thothmes  the  iiead  of  the  granary-keepers  and  the 
patrimony  of  the  god  —  Pillage  of  the  god’s  granaiies — Solemn 
council  held  in  the  temple — Amen  gives  judgment — A  messenger 
from  Syiia  and  a  dispatch  in  cuneiform  wiping  :  war  is  dec>aied 
—  The  sacrifice  of  the  hull  —  The  ritual  of  the  sacrifice  and  the 
Khri-habi — Amen  promises  victory  to  the  king. 

The  temple  is  the  house  of  the  god,  in  which  he  dwells 
body  and  soul.  At.  first,  like  the  house  of  men,  it  con¬ 
sisted  of  a  single  narrow,  gloomy  room,  but  instead  of 
a  terrace,  it  was  covered  with  a  slightly  convex  roof, 
which  slanted  backwards  ;  two  great  masts  framed  the 
opening,  to  which  streamers  were  fastened,  so  as  to 
attract  the  attention  of  the  faithful  at  a  distance,  and 
an  enclosure  guarded  with  palisades  extended  before  the 
facade.  In  the  interior  were  found  mats,  low  tables  of 
stone,  wood,  and  metal,  some  vessels  to  receive  the 
blood,  wine,  and  water,  the  liquids  which  were  daily 
brought  to  the  god.  When  the  offerings  for  sacrifice 
increased,  the  number  of  rooms  increased  also,  and 
chambers  reserved  for  the  flowers,  stuffs,  precious 
vases,  and  food  were  grouped  round  the  original  build¬ 
ing,  so  that  the  primitive  temple  became  only  the 
sanctuary  of  the  temple,  the  mysterious  tabernacle  of 
the  sovereign  god. 

It  is  not  more  than  two  thousand  years  since 


56 


AMEX,  THE  GREAT  GOD  OF  THEBES. 


Thebes  rose  from  obscurity.*  Its  first  great  kings, 
the  Amenemhats  and  Usertsens,  built  there,  in  honour 
of  Amen,  a  rather  shabby  edifice  of  white  calcareous 
stone  and  sandstone  with  granite  doors  ;  pillars  with 
sixteen  sides  decorated  the  interior.  At  that  time 
Amen  was  only  a  poor  provincial  god,  less  esteemed 
and  less  popular  than  his  neighbours,  Mentu  of  Iler- 
monthis  or  Minou  of  Coptos.  A  small  temple  sufficed 
for  his  worship,  and  a  small  estate  provided  for  his 
sacrifices.  His  authority  increased  during  the  long 
centuries  that  followed,  and  when  the  Pharaohs  of  the 
eighteenth  dynasty  drove  out  the  Hyksos,  and  reigned 
over  the  world  without  a  rival,  Amen  acquired  the 
sovereignty  over  the  gods  of  the  other  cities,  Egyptian 
or  foreign,  and  his  former  house  became  too  small  for 
his  new  position.  So  many  ancient  souvenirs  were 
attached  to  it,  that  it  was  carefully  preserved  from 
destruction,  and  was  surrounded  by  a  circle  of  new 
temples,  which  render  this  monument  the  largest  we 
yet  know.  In  front  of  the  original  facade,  Thothmes  I. 
built  two  chambers  preceded  by  a  court  and  flanked 
by  isolated  chapels ;  then  arranged  in  proportion,  one 
behind  the  other,  three  of  those  monumental  gateways 
accompanied  by  towers,  that  are  called  pylons.  Thoth¬ 
mes  III.  constructed  immense  halls  towards  the  west. 
Amenopliis  III.  added  a  fourth  pylon  of  enormous 
height  and  width  to  those  of  Thothmes  I.  Lastly, 
Hameses  I.  and  Seti  I.  employed  their  reigns  in 
building  the  hall  of  columns,  which  joins  the  pylon 
of  Amenopliis  III.  It  measures  fifty  metres  long,  by 
one  hundred  wide  (Fig.  33).  In  the  centre  stands  an 
avenue  of  twelve  columns  with  bell-shaped  capitals,  the 
highest  ever  used  in  the  interior  of  a  building  ;  in  the 
lower  sides,  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  columns  with 

*  It  must  be  remembered  that  thiv  narrative  is  placed  at  the  com¬ 
mencement  of  the  reittn  of  Raineses  II.,  in  the  middle  of  the 
fourteenth  century  before  our  era.  The  a,'  cession  of  the  twelfth 
dynasty  took  place  between  3200  and  3100  n.c.,  and  that  of  the 
first  Thebau  dynasty  about  the  eleventh,  two  centuries  earlier. 


Fig.  33.— Entrance  to  the  Hypostyle  Hall  of  the  Temple  of 
Amen  at  Karnak. 


58 


AMEN,  THE  GREAT  GOD  OF  THEBES. 


lotiform  capitals  are  arranged  in  nine  rows  of  quincunx. 
The  ceiling  of  the  central  hall  is  twenty-three  metres 
above  the  ground,  and  the  cornice  of  the  two  towers 
dominates  this  ceiling  by  about  fifteen  metres.  Seti 
died  when  the  decoration  of  the  walls  was  scarcely  half 
finished,  and  Raineses  II.  will  not  succeed  in  com¬ 
pleting  it  unless  he  reigns  long  enough  to  be  a  cen¬ 
tenarian.* 

Pharaoh  is  received  before  the  door  by  two  priests 
with  bare  feet  and  shaven  heads.  They  prostrate  them¬ 
selves  whilst  he  alights  from  his  chariot,  then  rise 
and  silently  await  his  commands.  ‘  Is  the  high  priest 
of  Amen  in  t  he  temple  ?’  ‘  The  high  priest  of  Amen 

is  in  the  temple.’  ‘  Let  him  come  here  at  once.’  ‘  He 
cannot  come  at  once.  Amen,  this  morning,  is  giving 
his  solemn  judgment  upon  the  business  of  the  royal 
scribe,  the  overseer  of  the  granaries,  Thothmes,  and 
the  high  priest  is  now  before  the  sanctuary  of  the  god.’ 
Pharaoh  throws  a  preoccupied  glance  through  the  door, 
and  perceives  the  central  triforium  of  the  hypostyle 
hall  half  filled  with  a  motionless  crowd.  At  the  ex¬ 
treme  end  of  it,  above  the  heads  of  the  people,  three 
sacred  arks  are  visible  in  a  ray  of  sunlight,  which 
falls  obliquely  from  the  ceiling.  The  eldest  of  the 
priests  adds  that  the  ceremony  is  nearly  over ;  the 
first  prophet  will  be  free  in  half  an  hour  at  the 
latest.  Pharaoh  enters  the  temple  and  proceeds  to 
the  left  aisle  of  the  hall.  The  temple  slaves  at  once 
bring  him  a  large  gilt  throne,  lined  with  various 
fancy  cushions,  raised  upon  feet,  and  provided  with  a 
footstool  (Fig.  34).  He  seats  himself  with  Nefertari  at 
his  side.  The  maj  ority  of  the  escort,  soldiers  and  messen¬ 
gers,  remain  outside  the  temple  and  guard  the  chariots. 
The  princes  and  dignitaries  follow  the  king,  and 
group  themselves^  behind  him,  standing  amongst  the 
columns  in  the  order  prescribed  bv  etiquette.  The 

*  In  fact,  Rameses  died  nearly  a  centenarian,  in  the  sixty-seventh 
year  of  Ins  reign. 


AMEN,  THE  GREAT  GOO  OE  THEBES. 


59 


solemn  silence,  broken  for  a  moment  by  tbe  arrival  of 
the  procession,  reigns  once  more.  Pharaoh,  lost  in  the 
angle  of  the  hall,  separated  from 
the  crowd  by  the  close  rows  of 
columns,  might  believe  himself 
alone  in  the  house  of  his  father, 

Amen,  if  echo  did  not  from  time 
to  time  bring  him  some  fragment 
of  religious  melody  or  the  light 
rustle  of  a  fly-flap. 

The  gods  have  sometimes  to 
judge  a  lawsuit  in  which  religion 
only  is  concerned.  It  happens 
that  a  theologian,  through  con¬ 
stant  meditation  upon  the  nature 
of  the  divinities,  forms  opinions 
that  are  opposed  to  tbe  dogmas ;  if 
he  ventures  to  express  them,  above 
all,  if  he  has  the  misfortune  to 
make  a  few  proselytes,  the  sacerdotal  college  to  which 
he  belongs  summons  him  to  appear  before  the  statue 
of  the  god,  who  excommunicates  him,  and  if  necessary 
condemns  him  to  die  by  fire.  The  case  of  the  scribe 
Thothmes  does  not  refer  to  heresy ;  no  point  of  doc¬ 
trine  is  in  question,  and  the  accused  has  never  in¬ 
timated  any  wish  to  deviate  from  the  regular  obser¬ 
vances  of  the  ritual.  Since  he  is  a  priest,  and  even  of 
high  rank,  we  must  believe  that  he  is  versed  in 
theology ;  but  he  is  also  the  Overseer  of  the  granaries 
of  Amen,  and  it  is  in  this  capacity  that  he  is  now 
called  upon  to  give  an  account  of  his  conduct. 

In  fact,  the  gods  ai’e  great  nobles,  who  possess  pro¬ 
perty,  and  maintain  a  large  number  of  servants  to 
manage  it.  Their  temples  must  be  enlarged,  repaired, 
preserved  in  good  order,  like  the  palace  of  a  prince. 
Their  statues  require  furniture,  clothes,  and  jewels ; 
the  doubles  that  dwell  in  them  cannot  live  without 
daily  food ;  they  have  also  their  servants,  the  priests, 


Fig.  34. — The  royal 
Throne. 


60 


AMEN,  THE  GREAT  GOD  OF  THEBES. 


whose  living  and  comfort,  if  not  wealth,  must  he 
assured.  These  things  are  all  provided  for  at  the 
foundation  of  each  temple  by  gifts  of  land,  cattle, 
slaves,  and  divers  revenues,  which  form  their  personal 
patrimony,  and  which  they  repay  by  prayers  or  by 
perpetual  sacrifices  to  the  memory  of  the  donor.  This 
patrimony,  once  given,  remains  inalienable  by  law, 
and  is  continually  augmented  by  legacies  and  new 
donations.  Houses  are  added  to  houses,  fields  to  fields, 
revenues  to  revenues,  and  inheritance  by  mortmain — 
what  is  called  the  offerings  of  the  god,  Ilofpou  noutir — 
would  at  last  absorb  the  whole  territory  and  per¬ 
sonal  property  of  Egypt  if  the  king  or  the  feudal 
nobles  did  not  confiscate  a  portion  of  it  from  time  to 
time,  under  cover  of  a  civil  war  or  of  a  foreign  inva¬ 
sion.  Since  the  accession  of  the  eighteenth  dynasty, 
Amen  has  profited  more  than  any  other  god,  perhaps 
even  more  than  Pharaoh  himself,  by  the  Egyptian  vic¬ 
tories  over  the  peoples  of  Syria  and  Ethiopia.  Each 
success  has  brought  him  a  considerable  share  of  the 
spoil  collected  upon  the  battle-fields,  indemnities  levied 
from  the  enemy,  prisoners  carried  into  slavery.  lie 
possesses  lands  and  gardens  by  the  hundred  in  Thebes 
and  the  rest  of  Egypt,  fields  and  meadows,  woods, 
hunting-grounds,  and  fisheries ;  he  has  colonies  in 
Ethiopia  or  in  the  oases  of  the  Libyan  desert,  and  at 
the  extremity  of  the  land  of  Canaan  there  are  cities 
under  vassalage  to  him,  for  Pharaoh  allows  him  to 
receive  the  tribute  from  them.  The  administration  of 
these  vast  properties  requires  as  many  officials  and 
departments  as  that  of  a  kingdom.  It  includes  innu¬ 
merable  bailiffs  for  the  -  agriculture,  overseers  for  the 
cattle  and  poultry,  treasurers  of  twenty  kinds  for  the 
gold,  silver,  and  copper,  the  vases  and  valuable  stuffs; 
foremen  for  the  workshops  and  manufactures,  engineers, 
architects,  boatmen ;  a  fleet  and  an  army  which  often 
fight  by  the  side  of  Pharaoh’s  fleet  and  army.  It  is 
really  a  State  within  the  State. 


AMEN,  THE  GREAT  GOD  OF  THEBES. 


61 


Thot  limes  is  one  of  the  most  important  of  these 
stewards.  He  manages  the  double  granaries  of  Amen 
at  Thebes,  and  all  the  wheat,  barley,  dhoura,  and  other 
grains,  which  the  god  cultivates  himself  or  which  he 
levies  as  a  tax  from  his  subjects,  necessarily  pass 
through  his  hands.  The  granaries  in  which  he  stores 
them  are  large  brick  buildings,  containing  high, 
narrow,  vaulted  rooms,  placed  side  by  side,  but  with¬ 
out  any  means  of  inter  -  communication  (Fig.  35). 
They  have  but  two  openings,  one  at  the  top,  by  which 
the  grain  is  put  in,  the  other  on  the  level  of  ths 


Fiji.  35.— The  Granaries:  Begis-terirg  and  Storing  the  Grain. 


ground,  by  which  it  is  taken  out.  The  corn,  placed 
in  heaps  in  the  entrance  court,  is  measured  by  sworn 
coopers,  under  the  superintendence  of  a  guardian ;  a 
crier  announces  each  bushel,  and  a  scribe  registers  it. 
As  soon  as  one  heap  is  finished,  some  labourers  carry 
it  away  in  rush  baskets  and  store  it  under  the  direction 
of  a  warehouseman.  Sometimes  a  movable  ladder 
enables  the  workmen  to  reach  the  upper  hole  in  each 
cell,  sometimes  the  cells  are  surmounted  by  a  terrace 
which  is  rendered  accessible  by  a  brick  staircase. 
Thothmes  knows  the  amount  that  each  granary  con¬ 
tains,  the  quantity  of  corn  that  has  been  deposited 
in  it,  and  how  much  is  daily  taken  from  it ;  what 
the  present  year’s  harvest  produced,  and  the  amount 


62 


AMEN,  THE  GREAT  GOD  OF  THEBES. 


left  in  the  granaries  from  the  crop  of  tlie  preceding 
years.  Dishonest  or  negligent,  he  could  purloin  or 
allow  the  god  to  lose  an  enormous  portion  of  his 
revenue,  without  any  chance  of  immediate  detection. 

Until  lately  the  honesty  of  Thothmes  had  never 
been  even  questioned,  and  his  life  had  been  unstained  ; 
but  last  year  a  rumour  spread  that  strange  irregu¬ 
larities  had  been  and  were  being  committed  in  his 
department.  Allusions  were  made  to  frauds  in  the 
reception  and  distribution  of  the  corn,  of  falsified 
measures,  of  incorrect  accounts  in  the  registers,  of 
thefts  from  the  storehouses,  committed  with  so  much 
impudence  that  the  unknown  culprits  must  have  felt 
sure  of  the  tacit  complicity,  if  not  of  the  active  co¬ 
operation,  of  the  official  guardians. 

A  certain  granary,  which  contained  two  thousand 
bushels  of  dhoura  when  it  was  closed,  had  only  twelve 
fiundred  bushels  in  it  when  it  was  opened  three  months 
later,  and  no  one  could  account  for  the  deficiency. 
The  workmen  had  set'll  nothing  amiss,  and  they  pre¬ 
tended  not  to  understand  what  was  going  on.  They 
threw  the  responsibility  from  one  to  the  other,  and 
without  positively  accusing  any  one,  they  insinuated 
that  the  culprits  must  be  searched  for  amongst  their 
superiors  if  there  were  any  real  wrish  to  discover  them. 
Suspicion  was  soon  directed  towards  Thothmes,  and 
although  vague  at  first,  it  speedily  acquired  so  much 
strength  that  the  chief  prophet  resolved  to  try  the  case 
before  the  judgment- seat  of  Amen. 

The  prophetic  statues  of  the  gods  are  usually  con¬ 
cealed  in  the  depths  of  the  sanctuary.  When  they  are 
brought  out  upon  the  solemn  festivals,  to  be  carried  in 
state  round  the  temple  and  sometimes  through  the  city, 
their  permission  is  first  humbly  requested.  If  the 
statue  approve  of  the  excursion,  it  acquiesces  by  a 
sign  of  the  head ;  the  ark  upon  which  it  rests  is 
lifted  up,  and  the  procession  starts.  If  it  remain 
passive,  the  priests  conclude  that  it  is  unwilling  to 


AMEN,  THE  GREAT  GOD  OF  THEBES. 


63 


show  itself,  and  an  inquiry  is  made  as  to  the  motive 
which  induces  it  to  deprive  the  people  of  its  presence. 
On  the  day  of  the  festival  of  Thebes  the  statue  of 
Amen  refused  to  go  out.  Its  displeasure  was  attri¬ 
buted  to  the  malpractices  of  which  it  had  been  the 
victim,  and  Thothmes  was  summoned  for  trial.  If  he 
were  found  guilty,  he  would  be  probably  beheaded,  or 
at  least  he  would  suffer  imprisonment  and  confiscation. 
The  inquiry,  although  strictly  made,  proved  that  he 
was  innocent.  Twenty  of  the  warehouse-keepers  and 
scribes  had  combined,  first,  to  abstract  a  few  measures 
of  corn,  which  they  divided  between  them  ;  then, 
emboldened  by  success,  they  half  emptied  the  granaries 
to  which  they  were  attached.  Drawn  too  far  by  their 
cupidity,  and  feeling  that  discovery  was  imminent,  they 
had  endeavoured  to  save  themselves  by  throwing  sus¬ 
picion  upon  their  chief.  The  innocence  of  Thothmeswas 
proved,  and  the  god  who  had  instigated  the  trial  fixed 
a  day  upon  which  his  decision  would  be  publicly  given. 

This  morning,  therefore,  the  chief  prophet,  Baknik- 
honsou,  his  feet  bare,  his  head  shaven,  a  white  scarf 
across  his  shoulders,  penetrated  into  the  sanctuary  with 
Thothmes,  and  paused  upon  the  silver  soil  opposite  the 
ark  of  Amen.  The  Egyptian  divinities  regulate  their 
lives  according  to  the  nature  of  the  country  they 
inhabit.  Their  ark  is  always  a  boat,  a  real  boat, 
raised  at  each  end,  built  with  sufficient  strength  for 
navigation.  It  is  launched  upon  the  sacred  lake  of  the 
temple  several  times  a  year,  when  certain  mysterious 
rites,  known  only  to  the  priests,  are  celebrated.  That 
of  Amen  bears  a  ram’s  head  in  front  and  behind,  sur¬ 
mounted  by  the  solar  disk  and  ornamented  by  a  large 
round  collar  (Fig.  36).  It  is  placed  upon  a  litter, 
which  rests  upon  a  square,  richly  decorated  pedestal. 
A  cabin  called  a  nnos  rises  in  the  centre,  and  serves  as 
the  usual  dwelling-place  of  the  prophetic  statue ;  a 
long  white  drapery,  fastened  at  the  back,  falls  over 
the  sides  of  the  naos,  and  half  conceals  it.  A  human- 


64 


AMEX,  THE  GREAT  GOD  OF  THEBES. 


headed  sphinx,  upright  upon  a  stand,  guards  the  prow ; 
a  man’s  figure,  standing  at  the  stern,  moves  the  large 
oar-helms ;  and  statuettes,  standing  or  kneeling  in 
different  postures,  represent  the  king  in  adoration 
before  his  divine  father. 

Baknikhonsou  respectfully  opens  the  door  of  the 
no  os,  and  the  statue  is  visible;  it  is  gilded,  but  the 
hair  and  the  heard  are  black,  the  enamelled  eyes 


glitter  in  the  shadow.  The  priest  burns  a  few  grains 
of  incense,  takes  two  rolls  of  sealed  paper,  places  them 
upon  the  hands  of  the  idol,  and  says  in  a  clear  voice, 
‘  Amen-ra,  my  good  master,  here  are  two  hooks  before 
thee.  One  of  them  says  that  Thothmes  the  scribe 
must  he  prosecuted,  that  he  is  guilty ;  the  other  says 
that  Thothmes  the  scribe  must  not  be  prosecuted,  for 
he  is  innocent.  Thou  canst  distinguish  right  from 
wrong ;  choose  according  to  the  right.’  The  god 
makes  a  sign  that  he  consents,  and  seizes  the  roll  which 
says :  ‘  Thothmes,  son  of  Souaamon,  should  not  be 
prosecuted,  for  he  is  innocent.’  The  chief  prophet 


AMEN,  THE  GREAT  GOD  OF  THEBES. 


65 


continues,  ‘  The  scribe  Thothmes  has  then  found 
favour  before  Amen-ra,  my  master.  My  good  lord 
god,  grant  that  he  be  not  executed  by  the  sword, 
that  he  be  not  thrown  into  prison,  that  lie  be  not 
punished  by  the  confiscation  of  his  property’  —  and  the 
god  approves ;  ‘  grant  that  he  be  reinstated  in  his 
dignities,  and  that  he  resume  his  position  as  chief 
steward  of  the  granaries .’  Again  the  god  signifies  his 
approval.  Instantly  fifteen  priests  raise  the  ark,  and 
placing  it  upon  their  shoulders,  carry  it  through  the 
chambers  and  courts  of  the  temple  to  the  entrance  of 
the  hypostyle  hall,  where  the  ark  of  the  goddess  Mut 
and  that  of  the  child-god  Chonsu  join  them.  The 
ceremony  recommences  in  the  presence  of  the  crowd. 
The  god,  again  consulted,  once  more  proclaims  the 
innocence  of  Thothmes  and  his  reinstalment  in  his 
functions.  ‘  If  any  one,  whoever  he  may  be,  say 
to  Thothmes,  son  of  Souaamon,  “  Thou  wrongfully 
occupiest  a  post  near  to  Amen-ra,”  the  chief  prophet 
of  Amen-ra,  the  king  of  the  gods,  the  great  god,  who 
existed  before  all  things,  will  make  this  individual 
appear  before  the  god,  for  it  is  the  god  himself  who 
has  established  Thothmes  in  his  dignity  when  he 
was  solemnly  enthroned  in  the  temple.’  Henceforth 
Thothmes  is  safe  from  all  persecution  ;  whoever  would 
throw  the  past  in  his  face  will  be  exposed  to  the 
anger  of  the  god.*  The  three  shrines  move  slowly 
away  and  return  to  their  gloomy  chambers,  the  crowd 
retires  noiselessly,  and  Baknikhonsou  hastens  to  prostrate 
himself  before  Pharaoh.  Ilis  life  has  been  entirely 
passed  in  the  temple,  where  he  now  commands  as 
master:  a  priest  at  sixteen,  a  divine  fattier  at  twenty, t 

*  The  long  inscription  in  which  this  lawsuit  is  related  is  so  much 
mutilated  in  some  places  that  the  meaning  is  not  always  clear.  I 
have  abridged  some  of  the  details,  and  have  endeavoured  to  restrict 
my  narrative  to  almost  certain  facts. 

+  The  title  of  divine  father  marked,  as  we  see,  one  of  the  inferior 
grades  of  the  sacerdotal  hierarchy  in  the  temp.e  of  Amen,  No  one 
knows  what  offices  belonged  to  it. 

6 


66 


AMEN,  THE  GREAT  GOD  OF  THEBES. 


third  prophet  at  twenty-two,  second  prophet  at  forty- 
seven.  Rameses  promoted  him  to  he  first  prophet  a  few 
months  after  his  accession.  The  pontificate  of  Amen  is 
by  universal  consent  the  most  important  of  the  three 
high  religious  dignities  of  Egypt.  Those  of  Ra  at 
Heliopolis  and  of  Ptah  at  Memphis  were  superior  for  a 
long  time  ;  but  now  the  priest  of  Amen  takes  the  lead, 
and  exercises  almost  unlimited  power  over  the  whole 
country.  Rameses  raises  Baknikhonsou  and  tells  him 
the  object  of  his  visit.  He  has  not  finished  speaking 
when  an  officer,  breathless  with  the  speed  he  has  made, 
hurries  into  the  temple  ;  the  post  from  Syria  has  arrived, 
and  is  waiting  at  the  door  for  his  Majesty’s  orders 
Scarcely  introduced  into  the  royal  presence,  before 
he  has  time  to  fall  down  before  Pharaoh,  in  accordance 
with  etiquette,  the  sovereign  addresses  him,  ‘  Who  art 
thou  ?  ’  ‘I  belong  to  the  Prince  of  Megiddo,  and 
come  from  him  with  a  message  to  your  Majesty.’ 
The  message  is  written  on  a  thick  tablet  of  baked  clay, 
covered  on  both  sides  with  letters.  Pharaoh,  like  the 
majority  of  well-born  Egyptians,  has  understood  the 
Aramean  tongue  from  his  childhood,  but  he  cannot 
easily  read  the  cuneiform  characters.  The  Syrian 
interpreter  belonging  to  the  royal  escort  comes  forward, 
takes  the  tablet  from  the  messenger  and  reads  it  aloud. 
‘  To  the  king,  my  master,  my  sun,  I,  Abdadad,  thy 
servant,  I  speak  thus  :  Ivhitasir,  the  vanquished  chief 
of  the  vile  Khita,  has  broken  the  peace  and  the  friend¬ 
ship  which  his  fathers  had  made  with  thy  fathers. 
He  has  forgotten  the  power  of  the  gods,  thy  masters, 
and  has  assembled  his  generals,  his  infantry,  his  chariot 
soldiers  ;  he  has  marched  against  the  prefects  and  the 
kings  that  thou  hast  established  in  every  land  to  pay 
tribute  to  thee  and  to  render  homage  to  thy  Majesty* 
He  has  advanced  against  them,  he  has  killed  their 
warriors,  he  has  taken  their  flocks,  and  has  led  away 
their  wives  and  children  into  captivity.  I  have,  there¬ 
fore,  sent  spies  into  his  camp,  saying,  “Go  and  see  what 


AMEN,  THE  GREAT  GOD  OF  THEfiES. 


67 


the  vile  Khita  is  doing.”  And  see,  they  found  him 
established  by  the  side  of  Kadesh,  the  city  of  the 
vanquished  chief  of  Amaorou,  with  his  impious  allies. 
And  know,  my  lord  the  king,  my  sun,  that  the  chiefs 
of  Girgashou,  of  Moushanit  and  of  Aradou;  the  chiefs 
of  Ilion,  of  Pedasos,  of  the  Mysians,  and  of  the  Lycians, 
are  with  him,  as  well  as  the  whole  of  the  Naharanna. 
I  pray  my  lord  the  king,  my  sun,  to  send  as  quickly  as 
possible  his  archers  and  his  chariots  of  war,  for  if  he 
delay  I  shall  be  utterly  destroyed.’*  It  is  too  late  to 
consult  the  god  as 
to  whether  he 
wishes  for  war  or 
not;  war  is  de¬ 
clared,  and  Pha¬ 
raoh  must  leave  at 
once  and  rejoin  the 
army.  He  calls 
Psarou,  commands 
him  to  take  the 
necessary  mea¬ 
sures  for  placing 
the  contingent 
from  Thebes  and 
Said  in  the  field, 
dispatches  messen¬ 
gers  to  the  King  of 
Ethiopia  to  inform 
him  of  his  depar¬ 
ture,  then  rises  and 
goes  into  the  cen¬ 
tre  of  the  temple, 
where  everything 
is  ready  for  the  sacrifice.  The  preliminaries  are 
rapidly  accomplished  in  the  usual  order.  The  statue 
is  placed  upright  in  front  of  the  sanctuary,  the 

*  The  letter  from  the  Prince  of  Megiddo  has  been  composed  from 
tile  models  of  letters  discovered  at  Tell-el-Amarna. 


1 _ ^ _  p  —  1  "■ _ —  ) 

-  TA«o\‘ \CU~- 

Fig  37. — Offering  Red  Water  to  the 
god  Amen. 


68 


AMEN,  THE  GREAT  GOD  OF  THEBES. 


face  turned  towards  the  outside.  Pharaoh  dresses  it, 
perfumes  it,  and  presents  to  it  successively  five  grains  of 
incense  from  the  south,  five  grains  of  alum  from  the 
north,  four  vases  of  red  water,  four  vases  of  ordinary 
water  (Fig.  37).  There  is  a  reason  for  the  number 
four  predominating  in  the  ceremonies.  The  world  is 
divided  into  four  regions,  or  rather,  to  use  the  technical 
term,  into  four  houses,  which  respond  to  our  cardinal 
points,  and  ai’e  placed  under  the  protection  of  different 
divinities.  The  king  pays  equal  homage  to  them  all, 
and  each  time  consecrates  one  of  the  four  parts  of 
which  the  offering  is  composed,  one  for  each  house,  or 
for  each  point  of  the  horizon. 

The  water  poured  out,  Pharaoh  promptly  returns  to 
the  court,  in  front  of  the  old  edifice  of  Amenemhat, 
and  receives  from  the  hands  of  a  priest  a  lasso  of  plaited 
leather:  bis  eldest  son,  Amenhikhopshouf,  stands  behind 
him.  Originally  the  sacrifice  was  a  repast  which  the 
celebrant — king,  prince,  or  simple  citizen— was  obliged 
to  prepare  and  serve  to  the  god  with  his  own  hands. 
He  then  went  to  the  fields,  lassoed  the  half-wild  bull, 
bound  it,  killed  it,  burnt  one  portion  before  the  idol, 
and  distributed  the  remainder  amongst  those  present 
with  a  profusion  of  cakes,  fruits,  vegetables,  and  wine  : 
the  god  was  present,  both  in  his  body  and  in  his  double  ; 
he  allowed  himself  to  be  dressed  and  scented,  ate  and 
drank  of  the  best  of  all  that  was  served  upon  the  table. 
The  use  of  the  incense  and  of  the  water  had  prepared 
the  prophetic  statue  for  the  banquet-,  as  a  guest  is 
prepared  by  giving  him  water  for  washing,  and  by 
anointing  him  with  perfumed  ointments.  The  king 
is  now  ready  for  the  chase. 

Time  has  gradually  softened  the  roughness  of  the 
primitive  rite;  it  has  transformed,  the  originally  genuine 
hunt  and  feast-  into  a  similitude  of  pursuit  and  of 
feasting.  Emneses  is  not  free  from  the  necessity  of 
catching  the  beast  himself,  but  he  is  no  longer  required 
to  go  and  seek  it-  in  its  pasturage,  at  the  risk  of  seeing 


AMEN,  THE  GREAT  GOD  OF  THEBES. 


69 


it  escape  or  of  receiving  a  dangerous  blow.  The  high 
sacrifice  which  is  celebrated  on  solemn  occasions  origin¬ 
ally  comprised  four  victims ;  the  spirit  of  economy 
usually  reduces  the  number  to  two,  or  even  to  one 
only,  which  is  then  called  the  Bull  from  the  South. 
The  servants  of  the  temple  lead  it  with  a  halter  to  the 
appointed  place,  and  then  attach  the  right  horn  to  the 
right  hind  leg,  throwing  the  head  slightly  back  by 
passing  the  cord  over  the  left  shoulder,  so  as  to  hamper 
the  animal’s  movements,  and  to  almost  paralyse  the 
neck  if  it  endeavours  to  use  its  horns.  This  done,  it 
is  pricked,  and  as  soon  as  it  starts,  the  prince  royal 
seizes  it  by  the  tail  with  both  hands,  and  Raineses 
throws  the  lasso  over  its  horns  (Fig.  38).  As  it  stops, 
startled  by  this  attack,  and  unable  to  understand  what 


has  happened,  the  priests  rush  upon  it,  throw  it  down, 
and  tie  the  four  legs  together  (Fig.  39).  Now  Pharaoh 
has  armed  himself  with  a  long,  straight,  plain  stick, 
without  any  ornaments,  and  with  a  light  club,  tipped 
with  white  stone,  a  memorial  of  the  club  with  which 
his  ancestors  struck  down  their  prey.  As  soon  as  the 
victim  is  ready,  he  extends  the  club  over  it,  as  though 
about  to  strike  (Fig.  40).  The  sacred  butcher  at  once 
opens  its  throat  from  one  ear  to  the  other ;  one  of  the 


70 


AMEN,  THE  GREAT  GOD  OF  THEBES. 


assistants  receives  the  blood  in  a  copper  basin  and 
places  it,  still  warm,  in  front  of  the  statue ;  others, 
with  a  few  blows  from  the  knife,  cut  off  the  sacra¬ 
mental  portions — the  heart,  the  liver,  the  spleen,  and 


Fig.  39. — The  Priests  throw  down  the  Bull  after  the  King  has 
lassoed  it. 


the  leg  (Fig.  41).  Lastly,  the  pieces  are  hurriedly 
brought  to  the  king  (Fig.  42).  Rameses  offers  them 
as  they  arrive,  then  heaps  them  upon  the  ground  with 
loaves,  cakes,  fruits,  and  vegetables  of  all  kinds.  Amen 
has  but  to  choose  the  dishes  which 
he  prefers  from  the  food  placed 
before  him. 

These  are  only  the  outlines  of 
the  ceremony  ;  each  act  in  it  is 
accompanied  by  movements,  ges¬ 
tures,  and  words,  which  the  gods 
have  condescended  to  regulate  in 
detail.  Before  all  else  they  exact 
material  cleanliness.  The  cele¬ 
brant,  whoever  he  may  be,  must 
carefully  wash — ouabou — his  face, 
mouth,  hands,  and  body,  and  this 
the  Death  Signal.  purification  is  considered  so  neces- 
sary,  that  the  priest  derives  from 
it  his  name  of  ouibou — the  washed,  the  clean.  The 
costume  and  head-dress  vary  according  to  the  nature 
of  the  rite  that  is  being  celebrated  ;  frequently,  even, 
it  is  modified  several  times  in  the  course  of  a  single 
service.  A  certain  sacrifice,  or  a  certain  moment  in  a 


AMEN,  THE  GKEAT  GOD  OF  THEBES.  71 

sacrifice,  requires  sandals  with  raised  points,  a  panther’s 
skin  over  the  shoulder,  and  the  thick  tress  falling  over  the 
right  ear  ;  in  another  the 
celebrant  must  be  girded 
with  cotton  drawers  and 
wear  a  jackal’s  tail,  whilst 
he  must  take  off  his  shoes 
before  he  commences  the 
service,  or  sometimes  put 
on  an  artificial  beard. 

The  nature,  the  hair,  the 
age  of  the  victim,  the 
method  of  leading  it,  then  of  binding  its  limbs,  the 
way  of  killing  it,  the  order  to  be  followed  in  opening 
and  cutting  up  the  body,  are  minutely  and  definitely 
prescribed,  and  are  unalterable. 

Yet  these  are  but  the  least  exactions  of  the  god,  and 
the  easiest  to  satisfy.  The  formulas  which  accompany 

each  of  the  sacerdotal 
manipulations  include  a 
fixed  number  of  words, 
which  must  not  be  modi¬ 
fied  in  either  sequence  or 
harmony,  even  by  the  god 
himself,  or  they  would 
lose  their  efficacy.  They 
are  recited  in  a  certain 
rhythm,  to  a  melody  in 
which  each  tone  has  some  special  virtue,  accompanied 
by  movements  which  confirm  the  meaning  and  exercise 
an  irresistible  influence  over  the  god ;  a  false  note,  a 
discord  between  the  succession  of  the  gestures  and  the 
utterance  of  the  sacramental  words,  any  hesitation  or 
blunder  in  the  accomplishment  of  a  single  detail,  and 
the  whole  sacrifice  is  nullified.  The  worship,  there¬ 
fore,  resembles  a  judicial  action,  in  the  course  of 
which  the  god  alienates  a  portion  of  his  liberty  in 
exchange  for  certain  compensations  in  kind,  of  which 


Fig.  42. — The  Priests  bring  the 
pieces  of  the  Victim. 


Fig.  41. — Cutting  up  the  Victim. 


72 


AMEN,  THE  GREAT  GOD  OF  THERES. 


the  value  and  the  character  are  determined  by  law. 
Rameses  solemnly  transfers  to  his  father  Amen  the 
cakes,  the  bread,  the  pieces  of  beef,  the  fruits,  by  which 
he  hopes  to  gain  his  attention  and  render  him  more 
favourable  to  his  petition.  If  the  king  scrupulously 
observes  the  innumerable  conditions  by  which  the  offer¬ 
ing  is  surrounded,  Amen  cannot  avoid  the  obligation  of 
fulfilling  his  prayer  and  of  granting  him  the  victory 
over  the  Khita;  if  lie  omits  the  most  insignificant  of  them 
all,  the  offering  remains  the  perquisite  of  the  temple, 
but  Amen  is  not  in  any  way  bound  towards  him. 

The  celebrant,  king  or  private  individual,  has  there¬ 
fore  a  formidable  responsibility  towards  his  family  ;  a 
defect  of  memory,  or  an  involuntary  impurity,  renders 
him  a  bad  priest,  injurious  to  those  who  entrust  him 
with  the  care  of  their  interests  before  the  gods.  Since 
ritualistic  perfection  cannot  be  expected  from  a  sovereign 
perpetually  distracted  by  the  business  of  the  State,  the 
errors  he  might  commit,  and  which  would  annul  the 
sacrifice,  are  averted  by  providing  him  with  a  master  of 
the  ceremonies — a  prompter  ( khri-habi ) — who  watches 
over  the  regulated  evolutions  round  the  statue  and  the 
victim  ;  points  out  the  order  of  the  gestures  and  of  the 
changes  of  costume  ;  if  necessary,  whispers  to  Pharaoh 
the  words  of  each  invocation  from  a  book  which  he 
holds  in  his  hand,  and  recites  the  majority  of  the 
prayers  for  him.  When  the  king  officiates,  it  is  usually 
the  eldest  of  his  children  who  fulfils  the  duty  of  master 
of  the  ceremonies ;  by  his  side  Amenhikhopshouf,  the 
panther’s  skin  on  one  shoulder,  the  tress  of  hair  hanging 
correctly  over  his  temple,  the  right  arm  held  out  in 
front,  declaims  the  Souton  cli  hotpou  over  the  pile  of 
offerings  arranged  before  Amen,  whilst  Raineses  burns 
the  incense  and  pours  out  a  farewell  libation.  Amen 
graciously  accepts  the  homage  of  his  son.  ‘  Go  in 
peace,  good  god,  master  of  the  two  Egypts,  Ousirmari- 
sotpounri,  for  thou  shaft  be  stronger  than  any  foreign 
country,  and  shalt  spread  terror  in  the  hearts  of  the 


AMEX,  THE  GREAT  GOD  OF  THEHES. 


73 


barbarians.’  The  wars  are  not  only  between  king  and 
king,  or  people  and  people,  but  between  god  and  god. 
When  Pharaoh  starts  for  the  army,  he  knows  that  he 
cannot  triumph  unless  Amen  enters  the  field  with  him  ; 
if  Amen  does  not  assist  him  personally,  the  foreign  gods 
will  easily  overcome  him  and  the  Egyptians  will  be 
defeated.  Amen  is  present  upon  the  battle-fields  ;  his 
hand  shelters  the  king,  turns  the  arrows  away  from 
him,  and  guides  the  chariot  into  the  midst  of  the  fight, 
to  scatter  and  decimate  the  battalions  of  the  enemy. 
‘  I  am  here,  0  my  son,  and  I  grant  thy  prayer.  Thou 
shalt  crush  the  princes  of  Zahi.  I  throw  them  under 
thy  feet  throughout  their  countries.  I  will  cause  them  to 
see  thy  Majesty  as  a  lord  of  light,  when  thou  shinest 
over  their  heads  like  my  image,  the  sun. — I  am  here, 
I  promise  that  thou  shalt  crush  the  barbarians  of  Asia, 
and  shalt  lead  the  chiefs  of  the  people  of  Ruten  into 
captivity.  They  shall  see  thy  Majesty  adorned  with 
thy  panoply  of  war,  when  thou  seizest  thy  weapon* 
above  the  chariot.— I  am  here,  I  grant  that  thou  shalt 
crush  the  land  of  the  East ;  the  Phoenicians  and  Cyprus 
tremble  before  thee.  They  shall  see  thy  Majesty  like  a 
young  bull,  strong  of  heart,  armed  with  his  horns, 
that  nothing  can  resist.  —  I  am  come,  I  grant  that 
thou  shalt  crush  the  peoples  that  dwell  in  their  ports, 
and  the  regions  of  Mitani  tremble  for  fear  of  thee. 
They  shall  see  thy  Majesty  like  the  hippopotamus, lord 
of  terror,  upon  the  waters  that  no  one  may  approach. — 
I  am  come,  I  grant  that  thou  shalt  crush  the  peoples 
who  dwell  in  their  islands,  and  those  who  live  on  the 
bosom  of  the  sea  are  fascinated  by  thv  roaring.  They 
shall  see  thy  Majesty  like  an  avenger  who  stands  on  the 
back  of  his  victim. — I  am  come,  I  grant  that  thou 
shalt  crush  the  Tahonou,  and  the  isles  of  the  Danaens 
are  in  the  power  of  thy  friends.  They  shall  see  thy 
Majesty  like  a  furious  lion,  that  crouches  over  their 
corpses  in  the  valley. — I  am  come,  thou  shalt  crush 
ihe  maritime  countries,  and  all  that  surrounds  the 


74 


AMEN,  THE  GREAT  GOD  OF  THEBES. 


stream  Ocean  is  bound  to  thy  wrist.  They  shall  see 
thy  Majesty  like  the  master  of  the  wing,  the  hawk, 
that  sees  at  a  glance  all  that  pleases  him. — I  am  here, 
thou  shalt  crush  the  peoples  of  the  marshes  ;  thou 
shalt  bind  the  Bedouins,  masters  of  the  sands,  as  cap¬ 
tives.  They  shall  see  thy  Majesty  like  a  jackal  of  the 
south,  lord  of  speed,  the  runner  that  roams  over  the 
two  regions.- — I  am  come,  thou  shalt  crush  the  bar¬ 
barians  of  Nubia,  and  even  to  the  people  of  Punt ;  all 
is  in  thy  hand.  They  shall  see  thy  Majesty  like  thy 
two  brothers,  Horus  and  Set,  whose  two  arms  I  have 
united  to  secure  thy  power.’  * 

*  This  song  of  triumph  appears  to  have  been  composed  for 
Thotlimes  III.,  but  it  has  become  a  kind  of  common  property  of  all 
the  Egyptian  conquerors,  and  fragments  of  it  are  found  applied  to 
Seti  I.  or  to  Raineses  III.  For  this  reason  I  could  apply  it  here  to 
Rameses  II.  without  any  improbability. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 

The  barony  of  Apu  and  its  lord  Nakhtminou —  The  city,  the  Great 
Cus’le  —  The  admini-trative  services  of  the  barony  —  The  little 
love  felt  by  the  Egyptians  for  a  military  career  —  The  recruitment 
— Hereditary  soldiers  and  their  fiefs  —  The  Egyptian  hoise  —  The 
Egyptian  war-chariots — Arming  the  soldiers  —  The  distribution  of 
provisions  for  the  campaign — The  Egyptian  army  and  its 
composition :  the  SbairetaDa — Opinion  of  learned  men  upon 
military  life. 

Psarou  is  not  only  count  of  the  nome  of  Thebes,  but 
chief  governor  of  the  Land  of  the  South,  that  is  to  say, 
of  almost  the  whole  of  Upper  Egypt,  of  the  neighbour¬ 
hood  of  Siout  as  far  as  the  first  cataract.  He  started 
the  next  day  after  receiving  Pharaoh’s  commands  to 
prepare  everthing  for  the  war,  and  levied  his  men  and 
bis  provisions  in  one  part  of  the  nomes  of  his  district, 
from  Kousit-  and  Coptos,  from  Denderah,  the  city  of 
Ilathor,  and  Tinis,  where  the  Egyptian  monarchy 
first  took  birth  4000  years  ago.  Since  this  morning 
his  boat  is  moored  in  Apu,*  the  capital  of  the  Panopoliti, 
where  he  is  staying  with  the  hereditary  prince, 
Nakhtminou. 

In  the  olden  times  the  great  feudal  families  that 
divide  the  land  of  Egypt  were  almost  independent, 
forming  a  number  of  secondary  dynasties  under  the 
sometimes  nominal  suzerainty  of  Pharaoh.  Since  the 

*  Apu,  named  by  the  Greeks  Khemmis  or  Panopolis,  is  now 
Omun-el-Khemim,  commonly  called  Ekhmem. 


76 


THE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 


power  lias  fallen  into  the  energetic  hands  of  the  Theban 
kings,  the  chief  barons  have  been  obliged  to  restore  the 
almost  sovereign  power  which  they  had  usurped,  and 
they  are  now  only  the  hereditary  governors  of  their 
fiefs,  rich  and  respected  for  their  nobility,  but  carefully 
watched  by  the  king’s  officers  and  threatened  with 
deposition,  if  not  with  death,  at  the  least  suspicion. 
Most  of  them  cherish  the  secret  hope  that  they  will 
soon  witness  a  revival  of  the  old  state  of  things;  a  long 
minority,  a  succession  of  incapable  kings,  a  revolution 
in  the  palace,  an  invasion  bv  the  maritime  nations,  or 
simply  an  unlucky  war  which  would  destroy  the 
prestige  of  the  dynasty,  and  enable  them  to  reconquer 
their  authority.  In  the  meantime,  some  of  them  have 
taken  office,  and  till  positions  in  the  court  near  the 
person  of  Raineses;  other,  like  Nakhtminou,  live  peace¬ 
fully  upon  their  estates,  dividing  their  time  unequally 
between  their  pleasures  and  the  duties  of  an  adminis¬ 
tration  which  the  jealousy  of  the  suzerain  renders 
lighter  every  day. 

Apu  is  celebrated  for  its  spinning  mills.*  Seen  from 
the  stream  it  produces  an  illusion  of  life  and  activity. 
Some  thirty  boats  are  scattered  along  the  bank,  about 
one  hundred  porters  are  loading  or  unloading  them,  sing¬ 
ing  as  they  work  ;  higher  up,  the  royal  warehouses — the 
double  white  house— in  which  the  corn,  flax,  fruits,  stuffs, 
and  cattle  are  stored,  crown  the  bank  with  their 
crenellated  walls.  An  old  city,  indolent  and  silent, 
sleeps  behind  this  foreground;  narrow  alleys,  scarcely 
animated  by  the  murmur  of  a  few  looms,  are  guarded 
at  intervals  by  troops  of  emaciated  dogs;  there  is 
a  small  market,  clean  and  quiet,  where  some  twenty 
contemplative  merchants  wait  from  morning  until 
evening  for  customers  who  never  seem  to  come.  To 
the  east  the  temple  of  Minou  raises  its  imposing  mass. 

*  The  spinning  mills  of  Ekhmem  still  exist;  their  chief  manufacture 
is  a  material  with  little  blue  and  white  checks  of  which  the  fellah 
women  make  their  outer  garment,  the  melayah. 


T1IE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 


i  ( 

Towards  the  north-east  beautiful  bushy  gardens,  sepa¬ 
rated  by  deep  moats  which  serve  as  canals  during  the 
summer,  as  roadways  during  the  winter,  produce  a 
rampart  of  verdure  between  the  houses  and  the  country. 
The  walls  of  the  enclosures  are  garnished  with  wild 
brambles,  of  wrhich  the  branches  fall  into  the  road, 
greatly  endangering  the  faces  of  travellers. 

The  usual  residence  of  the  prince,  the  Great  Castle, 
is  in  the  centre,  a  short  distance  from  the  river.  It  is 
built  of  masonry,  rectangular,  or  nearly  so,  surrounded 
by  a  wall  of  unbaked  bricks,  high  and  thick,  crenel¬ 
lated,  with  rounded  merlons.  An  oblong  court  occu¬ 
pies  the  centre,  closed  to  the  west  by  the  palace,  bor¬ 
dered  on  the  three  other  sides  by  arsenals,  storehouses 
for  the  forage  and  provisions,  as  well  as  by  smaller 
houses,  in  which  the  different  officers  of  the  various 
administrative  departments  of  the  principality  and 
their  respective  chiefs  are  installed.  It  is  really  a 
fortress,  capable  of  resisting  a  regular  siege,  in  which 
the  old  lords  of  Apu  have  often  held  out  against  their 
rebellious  subjects  or  against  troops  of  Maaziou*  Be¬ 
douins  unexpectedly  appearing  from  the  desert ;  even 
against  the  disciplined  bands  of  Pharaoh.  They  have 
been  sometimes  reduced  by  famine,  never  by  force. 
Nakhtminou,  peaceful  through  necessity,  if  not  by 
temperament,  was  engaged  with  his  Overseer  of 
Granaries  when  the  arrival  of  Psarou  was  announced 
to  him.  Each  of  the  baronies,  like  Egypt  itself,  has 
its  complete  system  of  government,  of  which  the 
prince  is  the  natural  head,  and  which  he  manages 
uncontrolled,  except  that  he  must  perform  all  the  ob¬ 
ligations  of  a  vassal  towards  his  suzerain — personal 
service,  annual  contributions  in  metals  and  in  kind, 
and  a  military  contingent,  of  which  the  importance 

*  The  Maaziou  were  Bedouins  of  Libyan  origin.  Their  name, 
identified  by  a  pun  with  the  Arab  word  meazah  (kid),  is  preserved  in 
that  of  the  Meazeh  Bedouins,  who  are  still  found  in  Middle  Egypt  on 
both  sides  of  the  Nile. 


78 


THE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 


varies  according  to  the  extent  of  the  fief  and  its  popu¬ 
lation.  We  find  then  in  the  noine  of  Apu :  a  manager 
of  the  cattle,  an  overseer  of  agriculture,  a  steward  of 
the  granaries,  a  director  of  the  warehouses,  a  director 
of  the  spinning  mills,  a  military  governor,  an  overseer 
of  the  bakeries,  a  state  council  in  miniature  where  the 
notables  of  the  province  meet ;  even  a  herald,  who 
solemnly  transmits  the  decrees  of  the  noble  lord  to  his 
subjects.  Nakhtminou,  who  had  known  for  some  time, 
through  a  special  messenger,  of  Psarou’s  business  with 
him,  had  immediately  taken  all  the  measures  which 
experience  dictated  to  secure  the  execution  of  the  royal 
orders,  particularly  of  those  relating  to  the  militia. 

The  Egyptian  of  pure  race  does  not  like  the  mili¬ 
tary  profession,  and  the  miseries  endured  by  soldiers 
furnish  literary  men  with  inexhaustible  subjects  for 
their  satire.  They  delight  in  describing  him,  ragged, 
hungry,  and  thirsty,  ill-treated  by  his  officers  for  the 
most  trifling  faults,  and  only  escaping  the  arrows  of 
the  enemy  to  succumb  to  the  fatigue  of  the  long 
marches ;  then,  as  a  contrast  to  this  unpleasant  pic¬ 
ture,  they  depict  the  scribe— rich,  respected,  and  in 
safety.  Consequently,  at  the  first  rumour  of  war,  at 
least  half  of  the  men,  wdiose  age  renders  them  liable  to 
serve,  hasten  to  take  refuge  in  the  mountains,  out  of  reach 
of  the  recruiting  agents.  They  remain  in  hiding  until 
the  operations  are  over  and  the  conscripts  on  their 
way ;  they  then  return  to  their  village,  when  a  few 
well-placed  gifts  stop  the  indiscreet  questions  which 
might  be  asked  as  to  their  absence  at  such  a  critical 
moment.  Nakhtminou  has  not  given  them  time  to  resort 
to  their  traditional  manoeuvre  :  upon  the  same  day  that 
the  royal  decree  reached  him,  he  sent  orders  that  the 
levy  of  the  contingent  should  be  made.  The  heads  of 
the  villages,  who  are  answerable  for  the  zeal  of  their 
officials  and  whose  property  is  security  for  their  con¬ 
duct,  at  once  seized  all  who  were  likely  to  fly,  and  for 
some  weeks  all  the  young  men  of  Apu  who  could  serve 


THE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 


79 


have  been  waiting  in  prison  until  it  pleases  Psarou 
to  choose  the  tallest  and  strongest  of  them  to  send  into 
Syria. 

Nakhtminou  hastens  to  meet  his  guest,  salutes  him, 
and  conducts  him  into  the  council  hall.  The  usual 
ceremonies  are  not  yet  completed,  and  the  notable 
men  of  the  district  are  already  arriving,  one  after  the 
other,  all  clad  in  white  robes.  The  day  is  passed  in 
paying  compliments,  the  evening  in  feasting,  and  all 
serious  business  is  deferred  until  the  morrow.  Early 
in  the  morning  Psarou  and  Nakhtminou  instal  them¬ 
selves  at  the  back  of  the  court  under  an  open  portico, 
where  the  sun  will  not  annoy  them.  The  military 
governor  and  his  lieutenant  are  placed  beside  them  ; 
the  scribes,  who  register  the  recruits,  bring  their 
books  and  desks  and  squat  down  behind  them,  the 
la  lam  behind  their  ears;  a  dozen  chaouiches,  half  bailiff  s, 
half  executioners,  stand  on  each  side,  stick  in  hand, 
ready  to  strike  at  the  first  sign.  The  country  people 
have  been  assembled  at  the  gates  of  the  castle  since 
daybreak,  grouped  by  villages  under  the  command  of 
their  mayors.  At  a  gesture  from  Nakhtminou,  the 
crier  of  the  nome  tells  the  door-keepers  to  let  them 
in,  and  the  first  group  appears.  The  mayor  marches 
at  their  head,  a  kind  of  standard  in  one  hand.  When 
he  reaches  the  priuce  and  the  emissary  of  Pharaoh,  he 
bows  and  kneels  down,  whilst  his  people  stand  a  few 
steps  behind  him,  the  spine  bent,  the  arms  swinging. 
One  of  the  scribes  indicates  from  the  registers  the 
population  of  the  village,  announces  the  number  of 
able-bodied  young  men  that  it  contains,  and  that  of 
the  recruits  it  should  furnish  ;  then  reads  the  names 
one  after  the  other.  Each  man  raises  his  hand  as  his 
name  is  called.  If  any  one  is  missing,  the  governor 
questions  the  mayor :  Is  the  absent  man  ill  P  refrac¬ 
tory  ?  has  he  any  occupation  that  exempts  him  from 
service,  or  any  infirmity  P  The  mayor  does  his  best 
to  answer  the  questions,  trembling  in  every  limb,  for 


80 


THE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 


a  chaouiche  stands  by  his  side,  and  be  is  certain  to  be 
bastinadoed  if  Pharaoh’ s  representatives  do  not  accept 
his  excuses  (Fig.  43).  Selection  made,  the  future 
soldiers  are  separated  from  their  companions  and 
shut  into  one  of  the  storehouses  of  the  castle ;  the 
others  hasten  back  to  their  homes,  rejoicing  to  be 
once  more  free  with  only  a  fright. 

The  same  formalities  are  repeated  for  every  village 
in  the  barony  of  Apu.  In  spite  of  the  zeal  with  which 
the  scribes  try  to  hasten  the  sad  work,  it  lasts  several 
days.  There  is  nothing  but  marching  past,  roll-calls, 
and  bastinadoes  from  morning  till  night.  The  rela¬ 


tions  gather  round  the  doors  to  await  the  result  of 
the  trial.  The  army  never  restores  the  men  that  it 
leads  into  the  distant  countries  of  Syria  or  Ethiopia. 
Those  that  it  absorbs  are  mourned  by  their  families 
as  if  they  were  dead.  As  soon  as  a  group  of  villagers 
go  out,  the  women  hasten  forward  and  try  to  dis¬ 
tinguish  which  of  their  relations  are  amongst  them  ; 
those  whose  husband,  brother,  or  son  does  not  reappear 
burst  into  sobs,  throw  dust  upon  their  hair  and  face, 
and  lament  as  they  are  accustomed  to  do  at  a  funeral. 
At  last,  on  the  fifth  day,  Psarou  inspects  the  conscripts 
himself,  and  releases  those  that  he  deems  the  least 
strong  until  the  total  contingent  is  reduced  to  the 
number  of  six  hundred  infantry,  which  the  principality 
is  bound  to  furnish  to  the  king. 


THE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 


81 


This  is  the  delicate  point  of  the  operation  ;  the  rest 
is  easily,  almost  mechanically,  accomplished.  In  fact 
there  are  in  each  nome,  by  the  side  of  the  fellahs  for 
whom  military  service  is  the  result  of  chance,  families  of 
a  higher  class  for  whom  it  is  an  hereditary  duty.  Each 
of  them  holds  a  fief— either  from  the  sovereign  or 
from  the  lord  of  the  manor — an  estate  of  about  eight 
acres,  free  of  taxes,  transmissible  in  a  direct  or  colla¬ 
teral  line,  hut  alway  s  under  the  condition  of  military 
service.  All  the  men  are  inscribed  upon  special 
registers,  which  are  deposited  with  the  commandant 
of  the  nome.  In  times  of  peace  only  a  small  number 
of  them  are  annually  called  out  to  form  the  guard  of 
the  princes  or  of  Pharaoh,  hut  in  time  of  war  they 
all  go  unless  they  can  find  some  legitimate  excuse — • 
infirmity,  old  age,  or  temporary  illness.  If  the  father 
be  too  old  to  go  himself,  he  is  replaced  by  his  son  or 
by  his  nearest  relation.  The  levy  of  the  army  is 
usually  made  vei'y  rapidly,  for  if  courage  fail,  interest 
ensures  promptitude.  If  the  vassals  neglect  to  respond 
punctually  to  the  lightest  summons,  their  fief  is  for¬ 
feited,  seized  by  order  of  the  officials,  and  their  family 
is  reduced  to  poverty. 

The  men  are  there ;  they  must  now  he  equipped. 
In  common  life  the  Egyptian  never  carries  arms.;  only 
the  shepherd  who  leads  his  flocks  to  lonely  spots  at 
the  foot  of  the  mountains  has  an  iron-tipped  stick  or  a 
javelin,  a  bow  and  arrows,  a  knife  or  a  dagger,  with 
which  to  defend  himself  against  wild  beasts  or  the 
Bedouins  he  may  encounter.  The  material  of  war  is 
guarded  under  seals  in  the  State  depots,  that  of  the 
infantry  in  the  house  of  iceapons,  that  of  the  cavalry  in 
the  breeding  studs.  It  is  only  recently  that  the  horse 
has  been  known  in  Egypt ;  the  shepherds  introduced 
it  into  the  land,  and  they  perhaps  owe  the  incredible 
rapidity  of  their  success  to  the  terror  which  their  steeds 
inspired  in  the  first  encounters  with  the  Egyptians. 
The  horses  are  usually  strong  and  of  good  height.  The 


82 


THE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 


forehead  is  convex,  which  gives  a  slightly  curved  and 
sheepish  profile  to  the  head.  The  neck  is  tapered,  the 
croup  thin  and  rather  narrow,  the  thigh  lean,  the  leg 
spare,  the  tail  long  and  full.  They  resemble  in  all 
respects  the  horses  always  seen  amongst  Asiatic  peoples, 
but  it  is  only  with  great  trouble  that  they  can  be  pre¬ 
vented  from  becoming  weak  and  degenerate.  The 
climate  enervates  them,  the  season  of  the  inundation 
does  not  agree  with  them,  and  the  race  has  to  be 
continually  recruited  with  stallions  and  mares  bought 
or  taken  from  Syria.  Thebes,  Memphis,  Hermopolis, 
most  of  the  great  cities  of  Middle  Egypt,  contain 
breeding  studs.  The  possession  of  many  chariots  is 
the  chief  luxury  of  the  nobles.  Pharaoh  encourages  it 
as  much  as  possible  by  rewarding  the  owners  of  well- 
kept  stables,  and  reprimanding  or  even  punishing  those 
who  do  not  take  sufficient  care  of  their  animals.  Apu 
has  not  more  than  fifty  which  are  fit  to  enter  the  field. 
Its  geographical  position  and  the  limited  extent  of  its 
territory  prevent  it  from  furnishing  a  larger  number. 
The  chariots,  like  the  horses,  are  of  foreign  origin  ; 
the  first  were  imported  from  Asia,  but  the  Egyptian 
workmen  soon  learnt  to  make  them  more  elegant,  if 
not  stronger,  than  their  models.  Lightness  is  their 
distinguishing  quality ;  one  man  can  carry  a  chariot 
upon  his  shoulders  with¬ 
out  feeling  tired  by  it. 

Only  leather  and  wood 
are  used  in  their  con¬ 
struction  ;  a  very  small 
quantity  of  metal,  gold  or 
silver,  iron  or  bronze,  is 
admitted  in  the  ornament¬ 
ation  (Fig.  44).  Some¬ 
times  the  wheels  have  four 
or  eight  spokes,  but  the  usual  number  is  six.  The  axle 
is  a  thick,  strong  piece  of  acacia  wood.  Two  pieces 
joined  one  above  the  other  indicate  the  general  form 


Fig.  44. — The  Manufacture  of  the 
Chariots. 


THE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 


83 


of  the  body,  a  half-circle,  or  rather  a  half-ellipsis, 
closed  bv  a  straight  bar;  upon  this  framework  is  fixed 
a  floor  of  sycamore  wood,  or  a  bottom  of  thongs  of 
crossed  leather.  Light  panels  fill  up  the  centre  of  the 
ellipsis,  full  in  front,  hollowed  at  the  sides,  and  pro¬ 
vided  with  two  curved  supporting  bars.  The  pole, 
which  is  all  of  one  size,  is  connected  with  it  at  about 
one-fifth  of  its  length.  The  large  end  is  fixed  in  the 
centre  of  the  axle,  and  the  body  is  fixed  upon  it,  like 
a  gigantic  T ;  the  back  flat  upon  the  axle,  the  front 
set,  so  to  speak,  in  the  curve  of  the  pole  ;  a  double 
thong  of  leather  secures  the  solidity  of  the  whole.  A 
yoke,  shaped  like  a  bow,  is  attached  to  the  free  end  of 
the  pole,  and  serves  to  harness  the  horses.  There  are 


generally  three  Asiatics  in  the  same  chariot ;  but  there 
are  never  more  than  two  Egyptians — the  warrior  who 
fights  and  the  coachman  who  drives  the  horses  or  holds 
the  shield  during  the  battle. 

The  distribution  of  the  weapons  is  a  festival, 
which  is  made  as  brilliant  as  possible.  When  Pharaoh 
is  present  he  remains  from  the  beginning  to  the  end ; 
everywhere  else  the  royal  officials  or  the  nobles  are 
proud  to  preside  over  it.  All  the  men  included  in  the 
levy  from  Apu  assemble  in  the  court  of  the  castle, 
and  arrange  themselves  in  companies :  the  country 
recruits,  the  hereditary  soldiers,  and  the  chariot 
soldiers.  They  first  go  through  all  the  marches  and 
counter-marches  usual  in  the  army,  races  in  groups, 
jumps  in  line,  the  sudden  halt ;  then  the  ranks  are 
broken  and  the  men  engage  in  wrestling  (Fig.  45). 


84 


THE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 


After  one  or  two  hours  of  this  exercise,  they  resume 
their  original  positions ;  the  Director  of  the  Home  of 
JVeajJOiis  opens  his  storehouses  and  the  distribution 
commences  (Fig.  46).  Only  the  kings,  the  princes, 
and  a  few  foreign  soldiers  wear  a  helmet  of  iron  or 


bronze  and  a  leathern  shirt,  covered  with  bronze  scales 
(Fig.  47).  The  Egyptians  wear  a  striped  handkerchief 
or  a  felt  cap  upon  their  heads  ;  a  kind  of  oval  apron, 
fastened  to  the  waist-belt  and  formed  of  bands  of 


Cuirass.  Fig.  48. — Shield. 


leather  sewn  together,  sometimes  covers  their  stomachs 
and  hips.  The  shield  (Fig.  48)  consists  of  a  frame¬ 
work  of  light  wood,  square  at  the  base,  rounded  at  the 
top,  covered  with  an  ox-hide,  and  provided  towards  the 
centre  with  a  metal  plate  about  eight  inches  wide.  It 
has  only  one  handle,  and  forms  a  kind  of  movable 


THE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 


85 


rampart,  which  is  held  up  with  the  left  hand,  and 
which  requires  great  skill  to  render  it  of  any  use.  The 
soldier,  sheltering  himself  behind  it,  sees  the  enemy’s 
arrow  or  javelin  coming  towards  him,  and  tries  to 
receive  it  on  the  metal  point ;  if  he  succeeds,  it  falls ; 
if  he  fails,  it  pierces  the  hide  and  perhaps  his  chest 
too.  For  the  attack  he  has  a  spear,  six.  feet  long, 
a  javelin,  axe,  club,  bow  and  arrow,  a  dagger, 
short  sword,  and  sometimes  a  knife,  with  a  wide 
curved  blade,  the  favourite  weapon  of  the  kings, 
which  is  called  the  khopshou.  Each  man  receives  from 
the  hands  of  the  storekeepers  the  equipment  of  the 
regiment  to  which  he  belongs,  and  the  horsemen  re¬ 


jig.  49.— War-dance  of  the  Archers. 

ceive  from  the  Director  of  the  U  )rse  a  chariot  and  two 
horses :  the  coachman  harnesses  them  quickly  and  at¬ 
taches  to  the  sides  of  the  chariot  two  bow-cases,  as  well 
as  two  large  quivers  for  the  arrows  and  javelins.  The 
distribution  over,  the  manoeuvres  recommence,  but  in 
a  new  direction.  Twenty  archers  first  execute  the  war- 
dance  of  the  Maaziou  Bedouins.  They  place  themselves 
in  line,  give  a  sudden  spring  as  they  utter  their  war- 
cry,  turn  round,  brandishing  their  weapons  above  their 
heads,  lay  their  bows  upon  the  ground  and  pick  them 
up  again  with  eccentric  contortions — alternately  ad¬ 
vance  and  retreat ;  their  comrades  marking  their 
movements  by  clapping  their  hands  or  by  striking 
two  boomerangs  together  (Fig.  49).  When  this 


86 


THE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 


wild,  scene  has  lasted  long  enough  the  march  past 
commences.  The  chariots  lead  the  way,  then  follow 
the  light  troops,  bareheaded,  without  apron  or 
shield,  a  bow  in  the  left  hand,  the  axe  or  the  boom¬ 
erang  in  the  right  hand,  the  standard-bearer  on 


the  left,  closing  the  ranks  (Fig.  50).  The  heavy  in¬ 
fantry  folloAv  to  the  sound  of  the  trumpet,  wearing 
the  leather  apron,  the  shield  and  spear  on  the  left 
shoulder,  the  axe  in  the  right  hand  ;  the  officers  do 
not  carry  any  weapons,  and  merely  hold  a  commander’s 


Fig  51. — The  Line  Infantry  Marching  Past. 

baton  (Fig.  51).  When  all  have  passed,  the  officers 
and  the  standard-bearers  leave  their  ranks  and  come 
forward  to  salute  the  prince  kneeling  (Fig.  52)  :  the 
festival  is  over.  Early  on  the  following  morning  the 
men  come  in  search  of  their  provisions  for  the  march. 
The  director  of  the  stud  has  prepared  rations  of  forage 


THE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 


87 


and  grain  for  the  horses.  The  chief  baker  has  not 
wasted  his  time,  but  has  cooked  the  amount  of  bread 
necessary  for  feeding  the  whole 
ti’oop  during  a  fortnight.  It  is 
scarcely  bread,  but  a  kind  of 
round,  flat,  black  cake,  made  of 
a  very  close  paste,  which  dries 
rapidly,  and  becomes  as  hard  as 
a  stone ;  it  must  be  softened  by 
soaking  in  water  before  it  can 
be  eaten.  The  soldiers  arrive 
in  squads  ;  each  carries  a  small 
linen  bag,  in  which  he  places 
the  allotted  ration  (Fig.  53).  A 
flotilla  of  large  boats  is  awaiting  them ;  they  crowd 
upon  the  bridge,  amongst  the  horses,  whilst  the  chariots 
and  luggage  are  piled  upon  the  roofs  of  the  cabins. 


Fig.  53  —  The  Soldiers  fetching  their  Rations  for  the  Campaign. 


In  about  a  fortnight  they  will  have  rejoined  the  main 
army  which  Pharaoh  has  assembled  at  Zalu,*  upon 
the  eastern  frontier  of  the  Delta. 

It  is  composed  of  unequal  numbers  of  Egyptians 
and  foreigners :  the  latter  are  attached  to  the  person 
of  Rameses.  Like  most  kings,  Pharaoh  likes  to  sur¬ 
round  himself  with  a  guard  of  barbarians,  whose  wild 

*  Zalu,  the  SellS  of  the  geographers  of  the  Roman  epoch,  is  now 
a  mass  of  ruins  at  some  distance  to  the  west  of  the  Suez  Canal,  near 
the  station  of  El-Kantarah. 


Fig.  52. — Saluting  the 
Prince. 


88 


THE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 


physiognomy,  strange  weapons  and  costume,  strike  the 
imagination  of  his  subjects,  and  heighten  his  prestige 
in  their  eyes.  lie  recruits  them  from  the  Libyan 
tribes  of  the  desert,  and  from  amongst  the  pirates,  who 
from  time  to  time  are  drawn  by  greed  of  gain  or  the 
spirit  of  adventure  as  far  as  the  coasts  of  Egypt,  from 
distant  Greece,  the  islands,  and  Asia  Minor.  One  of 
these  pillaging  bands,  belonging  to  the  warlike  nation 
of  the  Shairetana  of  Lydia,  had  been  surprised  and 
entirely  carried  off  during  the  last  year  of  Seti  I. 
Rameses  kept  it  beside  him,  added  to  its  numbers  all 
the  prisoners  of  the  same  race  taken  during  his  early 
wars,  and  thus  formed  a  small 
select  corps  devoted  to  himself. 
The  Shairetana  (Fig.  54)  are 
clothed  in  the  long  Egyptian 
skirt  and  a  close-fitting  jerkin 
of  thick  stuff,  with  black  and 
white  stripes,  opened  at  the  side, 
and  held  in  place  by  two  braces. 
They  are  armed  with  a  long 
double-edged  sword,  and  a  large 
leathern  shield,  sewn  with  disks 
of  gilded  metal.  They  wear  a 
round  helmet  on  the  head,  with¬ 
out  any  protection  for  the  neck, 
frequently  surmounted  by  a  large 
hall  and  two  pointed  horns. 
They  are  the  only  foreigners  that, 
accompany  Rameses  this  time ;  the  Libyan  auxiliaries, 
Bedouins,  and  negroes  remain  in  Egypt,  at  the  dis¬ 
posal  of  the  queen  and  of  the  officers  entrusted  with 
the  regency. 

The  soldiers  of  native  race  are  divided  into  four 
legions,  each  named  after  one  of  the  great  gods,  the 
legion  of  Amen,  the  legion  of  Ra,  the  legion  of  Ptah, 
the  legion  of  Sutekh.  The  contingents  of  the  various 
nomes  are  distributed  amongst  them  ;  when  that  of 


Fig.  54  — A  Shairetana 
of  the  Guard. 


THE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 


89 


Apu  arrives  it  is  joined  to  the  legion  of  Amen.  The 
war-chariots  form  a  special  corps,  commanded  by  the 
king  and  his  son  in  person.  Foreigners,  Egyptian 
infantry,  chariot  soldiers,  are  all  jealous  of  each  other. 
The  Egyptians  grudge  the  Shairetana  the  favour  shown 
them  by  Pharaoh,  and  the  post  of  honour  which  he 
gives  them  in  the  battles.  The  cavalry,  which  contains 
the  young  men  of  noble  family,  despise  the  legions  in 
which  the  mass  of  fellahs  and  the  common  soldiers 
serve.  This  rivalry  between  the  services  might  become 
dangerous  under  an  ordinary  general ;  Raineses  takes 
advantage  of  it  to  stimulate  the  ardour  of  his  soldiers. 
The  Egyptian  lacks  tire  and  passion,  but  he  is  patient, 
endures  fatigue  for  a  long  time,  and  fears  neither  pain 
nor  death ;  he  forms  the  nucleus  of  a  strong  resisting 
army.  The  Shairetana  and  the  other  foreign  mer¬ 
cenaries  are  there  to  communicate  to  him  the  offensive 
qualities  in  which  he  is  deficient — impulse  and  vigour.* 
They  resemble  yeast  that  is  introduced  into  a  heavy 
paste  to  lighten  and  improve  it. 

Nakhtminou’s  youngest  son  is  scarcely  ten  years 
old.  He  is  a  fine  child,  slender,  tall  for  his  age,  skilful 
in  all  bodily  exercises,  intelligent,  and  very  lively. 
The  sight  of  the  weapons  and  the  tumult  of  the  last 
few  days  have  filled  him  with  a  warlike  ardour  which 
continually  displays  itself,  much  to  the  annoyance  of 
his  family.  He  neglects  his  lessons,  writes  his  exer¬ 
cises  anyhow,  and,  when  reprimanded  by  his  father, 
only  replies  that  he  wishes  to  be  an  officer,  and  need 
not  study  so  much.  Psarou,  amused  by  his  enthusiasm, 
delights  in  talking  to  him  on  this  subject  whenever  he 

*  I  have  borrowed  this  description,  changing  the  actual  names, 
from  the  accounts  of  the  campaigns  of  Mohammed  Ali  and  Ibrahim 
Pacha.  The  fellah  of  to-day  so  absolutely  resembles  the  fellah  of 
antiquity,  that  I  have  not  hesitated  to  apply  to  the  armies  of  the 
Pharaohs  the  same  remarks  that  are  true  of  the  modern  armies.  The 
Shairetana  and  other  mercenaries  must  have  filled  the  same  role 
under  Eameses  that  the  Arnaoots  and  Europeans  filled  under 
Mohammed  Ali. 


90 


THE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 


meets  him.  ‘Ask  my  old  Ennana,’  he  says  to  the  boy 
one  day,  ‘  what  he  thinks  of  the  tine  profession  you  are 
so  fond  of.  He  is  a  good  adviser,  and  you  will  do  well 
to  listen  to  him  as  though  he  were  the  god  Thoth.’ 
Ennana  is  a  scribe  of  the  Double  White  House,  who 
accompanies  Psarou  in  all  his  journeys.  He  is  un¬ 
rivalled  as  a  book-keeper,  and  no  one  is  quicker  in 
discovering  an  error  of  a  sack  of  corn  in  twenty 
registers.  He  is  also  a  poet  at  times,  and  whenever  he 
has  a  moment’s  leisure  he  writes,  in  verses  or  in  prose, 
upon  every  subject  that  offers  itself,  sacred  or  profane. 

The  departure  of  the  infantry  and  of  the  chariot 
soldiers  has  inspired  him,  as  we  might  suppose.  When 
Nakhtminou’s  son  asks  his  opinion,  his  answer  is  already 
written  in  rhythmical  words  that  please  the  ear.  ‘  Why, 
then,  dost  thou  assert  that  an  infantry  officer  is  better 
off  than  a  scribe  ?  Come  here,  and  I  will  tell  thee  the 
fate  of  an  infantry  officer,  the  extent  of  his  sufferings. 
He  is  taken  when  quite  a  child,  the  tress  still  hanging 
over  the  ear,*  and  is  imprisoned  in  a  barrack.  He  is 
beaten,  and  his  stomach  is  covered  with  wounds;  he  is 
beaten,  and  his  head  is  broken  by  a  wound ;  he  is 
laid  down  and  beaten  like  a  papyrus,  t  and  he  is  bruised 
all  over  by  the  stick.  Come,  now,  whilst  I  tell  you 
about  his  march  into  Syria,  his  journeys  to  distant 
lands.  His  provisions  and  his  water  are  upon  his 
shoulder  like  the  burden  of  an  ass,  and  weigh  upon  his 
neck  like  that  of  an  ass,  until  the  joints  of  his  spine 
are  displaced.  He  drinks  foul  water — still  perpetually 
mounting  guard.  When  he  reaches  the  enemy?  —  he 
is  only  a  trembling  bird.  If  he  return  to  Egypt?- — he 
is  no  better  than  old,  worm-eaten  wood.  He  is  ill,  and 
must  lie  down,  he  is  carried  home  upon  an  ass,  whilst 
robbers  steal  his  clothes  and  his  servants  run  away. 

*  The  hair  of  young  children  was  gathered  in  a  thick  plait,  which 
fell  over  the  left  ear.  See  Fig.  8,  p.  14. 

f  The  stems  of  the  papyrus  were  vigorously  beaten  in  order  to 
weld  the  fibres  together,  and  thus  make  leaves  upon  which  the  scribes 
could  write. 


THE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 


91 


Therefore,  0  my  child !  change  the  opinion  thou  hast 
formed  upon  the  scribe  and  the  officer.’ 

The  son  of  Nakhtminou  is  a  little  disappointed  by 
the  sceptical,  mocking  tones  of  the  lines  he  has  just 
heard ;  the  sound  of  the  trumpets  and  the  brilliancy  of 
the  weapons  had  prevented  him  from  thinking  of  these 
discomforts.  However,  he  consoles  himself  by  saying 
that  the  cavalry  officers  have  nothing  to  fear  from  all 
these  annoyances.  ‘The  chariot  soldiers?’  replied 
Ennana,  gently.  ‘  Now,  let  me  tell  you  the  fatiguing 
duties  of  the  chariot  soldier.  He  hastens  to  choose  his 
horses  from  his  Majesty’s  breeding  studs ;  when  he 
has  chosen  two  fine  horses  he  rejoices  loudly,  he  returns 
to  his  village,  and  drives  at  a  gallop — for  he  is 
pleased  to  gallop  fast  upon  a  chariot — but  he  does  not 
yet  know  the  fate  that  awaits  him.  He  gives  up  his 
possessions  to  his  grandfather;  then  he  takes  his  chariot 
- — a  chariot  of  which  the  pole  has  cost  three  out  non  of 
copper  and  the  body  five  outnou* — and  gallops  away  in 
it.  But  he  entangles  himself  in  his  reins,  and  falls  to 
the  ground  amongst  the  thorns ;  a  scorpion  stings  his 
foot  and  his  heel  is  pierced  by  the  bite.  When  his 
accoutrements  are  examined  his  misery  is  at  its  height ; 
he  is  stretched  upon  the  ground  and  receives  one 
hundred  blows  from  a  stick.’ 

The  son  of  Nakhtminou  still  persists  in  dreaming  of 
chariots  and  battles ;  a  love  of  struggle  and  noise  is  a 
weakness  of  all  children.  Age  and  reflection  calm  this 
youthful  ardour ;  in  a  few  years  he  will  marry — ‘  make 
a  wife,’  as  they  say  here — take  a  lucrative  post  upon  his 
father’s  estate  or  in  Pharaoh’s  court,  and  never  be 
more  than  a  peaceful  scribe.  The  Egyptians  in  the 
time  of  Tholhines  III.  and  of  Amenophis  II.  were  more 
faithful  to  their  childish  impressions ;  they  willingly 
served  during  their  whole  lives,  and  the  profession  of 
soldier  seemed  to  them  quite  as  good  as  the  career  of  a 

*  See  p.  20,  Note,  the  weight  of  the  outnou,  and  the  means  of 
calculating  the  value  in  modern  coin. 


92 


THE  RECRUITMENT  OF  THE  ARMY. 


scribe.  This  deterioration  of  the  military  spirit  is  some¬ 
what  injurious  to  the  greatness  of  the  country.  Seti  I. 
and  Rameses,  good  generals  as  they  are,  have  not  won  so 
many  victories  as  their  predecessors  of  the  eighteenth 
dynasty,  and  these  victories  have  been  less  decisive. 
.Amenophis  III.  still  levied  tribute  from  the  Khita ; 
Seti  was  obliged  to  treat  with  their  kmg  as  an  equal; 
the  gods  alone  foresee  the  end  of  the  campaign  now 
about  to  commence.  The  mercenaries  form  only  a 
portion  of  the  army  at  present.  If  the  aversion  which 
the  natives  feel  for  military  life  increases,  and  every¬ 
thing  leads  us  to  believe  that  this  will  be  the  case,  the 
number  of  barbarian  soldiers  must  be  enormously  aug¬ 
mented,  and  then — every  one  knows  what  the  result 
always  is;  the  former  slaves  rapidly  become  the  masters, 
and  the  day  is  not  perhaps  far  distant  when  the  foreign 
bands  will  place  one  of  their  own  leaders  upon  the 
throne  of  Pharaoh.* 

*  This  really  happened  about  a  hundred  years  later,  after  Seti  II., 
when  the  foreigners  gave  the  crown  of  Egypt  to  the  Syrian  Her-Heru. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTEE. 

Aspect  of  the  country  of  Apu — Passage  of  the  ford  —  The  incantations 
against  the  crocodiles  —  The  villa  of  Nakhtminou  —  The  garden 
and  the  fruit-trees  of  foreign  origin  —  The  ponds  —  The  vines  and 
the  winepress — Irrigation — The  shepherds — The  fishpond :  fishing 
and  fowling  in  the  marshes  —  Netting  fish:  salting  fish  —  Netting 
birds:  preserving  game  —  Hunting  in  the  desert  in  olden  times  — 
The  gamekeeper’s  department — The  valley  of  Apu — The  written 
rock  —  Hunting  in  the  desert  —  The  mon-ters  —  Return  to  Thebes  : 
the  pillow  and  the  god  Bisou. 

The  inspection  of  the  registers  of  the  taxes  followed 
the  levy  and  the  departure  of  the  troops.  Psarou  has 
taken  part  of  the  stuffs  which  the  city  pays  into  the 
treasury  on  account  of  its  manufactures,  and  a  portion 
of  the  arrears  of  the  ordinary  tax  in  grain  stored  in  the 
royal  granaries.  He  has  embarked  it  all,  and  would  be 
already  on  the  road  to  Thebes  if  Nakhtminou  had  not 
requested  the  honour  of  retaining  him  as  a  guest  for 
two  or  three  days  longer,  and  of  giving  him  the  pleasure 
of  a  chase  in  the  desert.  His  favourite  villa  is  situated 
on  the  north-east  of  the  city,  near  the  entrance  of  a 
wild  valley,  which  leads  straight  to  one  of  the  districts 
of  the  mountain  where  game  is  most  plentiful.  The 
party  leaves  Apu  early  in  the  morning,  and  goes  across 
the  fields  to  avoid  the  long  turns  of  the  road  ;  the  beans 
are  in  flower  at  this  season,  and  the  stems  are  so  tall 
that  men  and  beasts  are  almost  hidden  in  the  perfumed 
verdure.  Beyond  the  beans  the  way  lies  through  fields 
of  dhoura  and  corn ;  then,  after  passing  a  few  groups 


94 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTLE. 


of  palm-trees,  the  riders  cross  the  road,  and  a  canal  about 
fifteen  yards  wide  lies  before  them,  its  stagnant  water 
confined  between  two  crumbling  banks  of  clay. 

The  ford  is  not  far  away,  but  a  herd  of  cattle, 
walking  slowly  along,  reaches  it  first  and  stops  the  way 
for  a  moment  (Fig.  55).  The  chief  shepherd  pauses, 
examines  the  water  with  a  glance,  and  rapidly  utters  a 
few  words  :  ‘  Halt,  crocodile,  son  of  Set !  Do  not  wave 
thy  tail ;  do  not  move  thine  arms ;  do  not  open  thy 
mouth :  but  may  the  water  become  like  a  rampart  of 
burning  fire  before  thee  !  Halt,  crocodile,  son  of  Set !’ 
The  crocodile  is  always  hidden  near  the  fords.  The 


incantation  which  the  shepherd  has  just  recited  will 
infallibly  blind  it  or  stupefy  it,  so  that  it  will  not  see 
either  man  or  beast,  or,  if  it  see  them,  it  cannot  attack 
them.  The  water  is  not  deep  ;  it  scarcely  reaches  the 
bodies  of  the  oxen.  Still,  one  of  the  calves  is  too  small 
to  cross  on  foot,  and  a  herdsman  is  obliged  to  carry  it 
over  on  his  hack.  The  unlucky  calf  does  not  appreciate 
this  mode  of  travelling,  and  turns  lowing  towards  its 
mother.  The  latter,  equally  uneasy,  replies,  hut  the 
herdsman  who  follows  consoles  her  rather  ironically  : 
‘  Oh,  good  mother,  is  the  rascal  carrying  off  thy  calf  P’ 
A  village  formed  of  poor,  low  huts  lies  in  front  of  the 
travellers,  hut  the  left  bank  of  the  canal  is  guarded  by 
the  crenellated  brick  wall  which  usually  distinguishes 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTLE. 


95 


tlte  house  of  an  important  man  ;  behind  it  stands  the 
villa  of  Nakhtminou. 

The  garden  is  entered  through  a  monumental  brick 
gateway  (Fig.  56).  The  opening  is  framed  by  doorposts 
and  lintels  of  white  stucco,  covered  with  hieroglyphics  ; 
a  dedicatory  inscription,  ornamented  with  the  cartouches 


of  Seti  I.,  states  that  it  was  constructed  by  Nakht- 
minou’s  father,  nearly  thirty  years  ago.  The  swing- 
doors  ai’e  of  massive  cedar  wood,  strengthened  by  heavy 
bronze  hinges.  They  are  only  opened  upon  grand  occa¬ 
sions  for  the  nobleman  and  his  guests,  the  usual  entrance 
to  the  enclosure  being  through  two  posterns  to  the  left 


96 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTLE. 


of  the  gateway.  The  garden  forms  a  perfect  square  of 
about  one  hundred  yards  each  way,  divided  into  portions 
of  unequal  size  by  walls  of  dry  stone,  scarcely  two  feet 
high;  rustic  gates  of  painted  wood  lead  from  one  to  the 
other.  They  are  planted  partly  with  fruit-trees  and 
partly  with  ornamental  trees,  some  of  foreign  origin. 

In  fact,  the  Egyptians  are  very  fond  of  new  flowers 
and  essences  ;  they  transport  as  many  as  possible  to  the 
banks  of  the  Kile,  and  try  to  acclimatise . them  there. 
Queen  Hatshepset  sent  a  fleet  of  five  ships  to  the  land 
of  Punt,*  to  fetch  the  scented  fig-trees  that  she  placed 
in  her  orchards  at  Thebes.  Thothmes  III.  had  pictures 
placed  in  one  of  the  chapels  of  the  temple  of  Amen  at 
Ivarnak  of  all  the  various  species  of  beasts  and  vege¬ 
tables  that  he  had  brought  from  his  campaigns  in  Syria 
and  from  the  regions  of  the  Upper  Nile.  Private  in¬ 
dividuals  are  not  less  active  than  the  Pharaohs.  For 
the  last  four  centuries  the  Egyptian  flora,  which  is 
naturally  poor,  has  been  continually  enriched  by  at 
least  twenty  useful  or  decorative  plants,  the  apple, 
almond,  and  pomegranate,  besides  some  new  varieties 
of  raisins  and  tigs.  Naklitminou  has  found  means  of 
collecting  specimens  of  nearly  all  these  plants,  and  now 
shows  them  to  his  guest  with  legitimate  pride.  In  his 
own  opinion,  his  most  valuable  possession  is  a  very  rare 
species  of  palm-tree,  which  is  found  occasionally,  at 
long  intervals,  in  two  or  three  parts  of  the  Nubian 
desert,  between  the  Nile  and  the  Red  Sea.  The  poets, 
who  know  it  by  hearsay,  compare  it  to  Thoth,  the  god 
of  wisdom,  because  of  its  fine  size  and  marvellous 
properties.  Its  fruit,  before  reaching  maturity,  con¬ 
tains  a  kind  of  sweet  milk,  of  Avhich  the  barbarians  are 
very  fond.  This  tree  has  a  unique  history.  The 
father  of  Nakhtminou  brought  it  from  the  land  of 
Akiti,  when  he  went  to  dig  the  wells  upon  the  road  to 
the  gold  mines  in  the  time  of  Seti  I.  There  is  not 

*  The  land  of  Punt  responds  to  the  southern  coasts  of  Arabia  and 
the  land  of  the  Somali. 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTLE. 


97 


another  specimen  for  thirty  leagues  round  the  country 
— Pharaoh  himself  has  only  two  or  three  in  his  parks 
at  Thebes.  Four  oblong  pools,  bordered  by  a  stone 
kerb,  ornamented  by  great  bunches  of  lotus,  and 
crowded  with  ducks,  are  symmetrically  placed  in  the 
midst  of  the  trees.  A  screen  of  common  dates  and  of 
cassia-trees  alternating  with  dom  palms*  runs  along  the 
inside  of  the  wall,  and  shelters  the  villa  from  the  dusty 
wind  of  the  desert.  Thousands  of  birds— lapwings, 
sparrows,  green-robed  siskins,  grey  doves  with  black 
collars — nest  in  the  bower  and  enliven  it  with  their 


quarrels.  Shade  and  fresh,  cool  air  prevail  in  the 
grounds.  The  contrast  is  delightful  after  the  barren¬ 
ness  and  heat  of  the  surrounding  plain.  As  soon  as 
the  threshold  is  crossed  one  comprehends  why  the  pious 
Egyptian  hopes  that  his  soul,  as  its  supreme  felicity, 
will  return  to  sit  under  the  trees  he  has  planted,  by 
the  side  of  the  pools  he  has  dug,  there  to  enjoy  the  re¬ 
freshing  breeze  from  the  north.  A  large  trellis  planted 
with  vines  extends  from  the  gate  to  the  dwelling 

*  The  dom  is  a  kind  of  palm-tree,  of  which  the  trunk  is  divided 
into  two  branches,  and  each  branch  into  two  new  ones.  It  bears 
rather  large  fruit,  which  the  old  Egyptians  seem  to  have  greatly 
appreciated.  The  dom  palm  is  not  found  before  Siout  in  ascending 
the  Nile.  The  tree  is  gradually  disappearing  from  Egypt  proper. 

8 


98 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTLE. 


(Fig.  57).  It  is  supported  by  several  rows  of  painted 
wooden  columns  with,  lotus  capitals.  The  vines,  placed 
in  a  line  between  them,  grow  high  above  the  heads  of 
the  pedestrians  beneath.  Every  year  Nakhtminou 
amuses  himself  with  the  vintage.  lie  watches  the 
slaves  gathering  the  grapes,  placing  them  in  baskets, 
and  pressing  them  in  long  bags  of  coarse  linen  (Fig. 
58).  lie  thus  obtains  a  thick,  sweet  wine,  which  easily 
turns  sour,  unless  mixed  with  resin.  Two  small  open 


kiosks  are  placed  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  house, 
each  facing  one  of  the  basins.  The  master  delights  to 
come  here  in  the  afternoon  to  play  at  draughts  or  in¬ 
dolently  watch  the  gambols  of  his  ducks.  The  store¬ 
houses,  stables,  all  the  materials  for  agricultural  labour, 
are  placed  in  a  second  enclosure  at  some  distance  from 
the  first. 

The  land,  which  extends  outside  as  far  as  the  desert, 
has  been  adapted,  with  some  little  trouble,  to  the  estab¬ 
lishment  of  a  market  garden.  It  is  watered  from  the 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTLE. 


99 


canal  by  means  of  a  series  of  balances  placed  at  intervals 
along  the  banks  (Fig.  59).  Imagine  a  beam  forming  a 
lever  and  suspended  about  one -third  of  its  length 
between  two  vertical  posts ;  the  shortest  arm  bears 
a  counterweight  in  clay ;  a  basket  of  palm-leaves  is 
suspended  to  the  longest.  From  sunrise  to  sunset  a 
fellah  fills  the  basket,  raises  it  to  about  the  middle  of 
his  body,  losing  half  its  contents  in  the  process,  and 
empties  the  remainder  into  a  trench,  which  conducts 
the  water  towards  a  given  part  of  the  estate,  which  is 


Fig.  59. — The  Balance  for  drawing  Water  :  the  Shadoiif. 

divided  by  small  embankments  into  squares  of  various 
sizes,  called  houses,  in  which  the  vegetables  are  planted. 
The  wTater  passes  from  house  to  house  until  it  reaches 
the  other  end  of  the  field.  The  overflow  is  carefully 
collected  into  pools,  which  serve  for  both  cattle  and 
men  to  drink  from.  In  this  way  the  prince  procures 
all  the  vegetables  he  requires  for  his  table  during 
every  season  of  the  year — onions,  cucumbers,  mad 
apples,  lupins,  gombos,  and  mallows  of  various  kinds. 

The  land,  which  is  not  regularly  watered,  but  only 
moistened  by  the  infiltering  of  the  canal,  is  not  useless 


100 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTLE. 


on  that  account.  "Wherever  the  water  penetrates,  the 
grass  grows  strong  and  close,  and  for  a  few  weeks 
it  is  a  carpet  of  verdure  profusely  sown  with  pink, 
violet,  or  yellow  flowers ;  where  moisture  ceases,  vege¬ 
tation  abruptly  vanishes.  Flocks  and  herds  graze  on 
these  lands  during  the  winter  months.  They  remain 
six  or  seven  days  at  a  time,  under  the  guidance  of  the 
shepherds,  sleeping  out  of  doors,  drinking  from  the 
pools  or  the  canal.  When  one  spot  is  exhausted,  they 
migrate  to  a  fresh  place,  and  do  not  return  to  the 
village  until  after  they  have  traversed  all  the  land  that 
belongs  to  their  master.  The  shepherds,  accustomed  to 
living  together,  form  a  special  class,  of  rougher  habits 
and  more  savage  character  than  the  usual  population. 
They  allow  their  hair  and  heard  to  grow ;  many  of 
them  even  have  red  hair,  which  is  held  in  horror  by 
the  devout.  It  is,  in  fact,  believed  that  red-haired 
men  or  beasts  are  the  agents  of  Set,  who  assassinated 
Osiris,  and  who  is  execrated  as  the  spirit  of  evil. 
The  shepherds  occupy  their  leisure  hours  in  weaving 
mats,  cooking,  and  preparing  the  balls  with  which  they 
fatten  their  stock.  They  often  find  some  difficulty  in 
protecting  themselves  against  the  marauding  Bedouins 
or  the  wild  beasts.  Nevertheless  they  are  gay,  fond 
of  singing,  and  full  of  contempt  for  sedentary 
occupations. 

A  little  to  the  north  of  the  village  the  canal  widens 
into  a  large  marshy  pool,  in  which  papyri,  water-lilies, 
the  blue  lotus,  and  twenty  species  of  aquatic  plants 
grow  well  and  thickly.  The  plants  are  so  bushy  that 
they  resemble  a  number  of  islands,  amongst  which 
small  canals  wind  capriciously,  with  scarcely  width 
enough  to  allow  a  boat  to  pass  through.  Each  of 
them  forms  a  miniature  world,  where  thousands  of 
insects  and  birds  live  peaceably  :  pelicans,  geese,  and 
ducks  by  the  side  of  the  heron,  bittern,  white  ibis,  and 
teal.  Sometimes,  however,  an  ichneumon,  a  marten, 
or  simply  a  cat  from  the  neighbourhood,  will  slyly  get 


LIFE  IK  THE  CASTLE. 


101 


in,  and  make  great  havoc  amongst  the  half-fledged 
nestlings.  The  waters  are  as  well  stocked  as  the 
plants :  eels,  pike,  lampreys,  mormyrus,  all  fresh¬ 
water  fish  abound  there.  The  crocodile  frequents 
them,  and  sometimes  even  a  hippopotamus  that  has 
lost  its  way  will  take  refuge  in  one  of  the  pools  after 
the  inundation  has  subsided.  The  depth  and  extent  of 
the  pool  are  not  too  great  for  it  to  be  easily  drained 
and  cultivated;  moreover,  each  year  the  Kile  raises 
the  bottom  by  a  fresh  deposit  of  mud,  thus  rendering 
the  task  easier.  The  princes  of  Apu  have  never  cared 
to  undertake  it.  Arable  land  is  not  lacking  upon 
their  estates,  and  they  prefer  to  leave  preserves  for 
fishing  and  hunting  near  their  towns. 

The  morning  after  their  arrival,  Naklitminou,  his 
wife,  and  children,  lead  their  guest  to  the  pool,  where 
they  all  embark.  The  boats  they  use  consist  of  an 
oblong  wooden  case,  placed  in  the  middle  of  a  bundle 
of  rushes,  and  secured  by  strings  of  papyrus.  The 
two  extremities  are  tightly  tied,  and  are  sometimes 
elongated  into  a  point,  sometimes  carried  straight  out 
of  the  water,  or  sometimes  ornamented  with  a  large 
lotus  blossom.  The  whole  bark  is  so  light  that  one  or 
two  men,  according  to  the  length,  easily  carry  it  from 
one  pool  to  the  other  upon  their  shoulders.  It  fre¬ 
quently  capsizes,  but  no  one  troubles  about  that,  for 
all  Egyptians  swim  from  infancy,  and  the  simplicity 
of  their  costume  prevents  any  great  dread  of  an  un¬ 
expected  bath.  Nakhtminou  only  takes  with  him  a 
long,  double-pointed  harpoon  (Fig.  60).  He  rapidly 
pic-hes  into  the  thicket  of  plants  with  his  wife  and  two 
children,  who  manage  the  skiff.  Standing  with  his 
body  bent  slightly  forward,  he  scrutinises  the  water. 
Suddenly  he  plunges  one  arm  down  with  a  rapid  move¬ 
ment  and  catches  two  fine  perch  at  a  stroke.  Psarou, 
who  prefers  fowling,  is  accompanied  by  the  two 
daughters  of  his  host.  They  take  a  tame  goose,  which 
serves  as  a  decoy  for  the  game,  and  a  cat  trained  to 


102 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTLE. 


retrieve.  Psarou  carries  neither  bow  nor  javelin,  only 
about  twenty  boomerangs.  Tbe  boomerang  is  a  curved 
stick,  slightly  rounded  on  one  side,  flat  upon  tbe  other, 
sometimes  unornamented,  sometimes  shaped  like  a 
serpent.  It  is  held  in  one  band,  then  thrown  into 
the  air ;  any  bird  hit  upon  the  neck  falls,  half  dead. 
Psarou  is  unusually  skilful  in  this  sport,  and  every 
boomerang  that  he  launches  hits  its  mark.  The  cat 
springs  forward  and  picks  up  the  game,  not  without 


swallowing  some  eggs  or  nestlings  that  it  passes  on  the 
way  (Fig.  61). 

Fowling  and  fishing  of  this  kind  are  amusements 
reserved  for  the  rich  and  noble.  Professional  fowlers 
and  fishermen  use  appliances  of  more  certain  effect, 
particularly  nets  (Fig.  62).  The  fishing-net  is  a  long 
sweep-net  with  large  meshes.  Its  upper  part  is  sup¬ 
ported  on  the  surface  by  wooden  floats,  whilst  the 
lower  part  is  furnished  with  leaden  balls,  which  sink 
it  to  the  bottom  and  give  the  necessary  tension.  It  is 
thrown  either  from  the  bank  or  from  a  boat,  then  upon 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTLE. 


103 


a  signal  from  the  leader  half-a-dozen  men  take  the 
cords  and  haul  it  to  land.  The  largest  fish  are  carried 
in  the  arms,  the  smaller  ones  in  baskets,  to  a  neigk- 


Fig.  61. — Fowling  with  a  Boomerang  upon  the  Pond. 


bouring  shed,  where  salters  open  and  cleanse  them  ; 
then,  after  rubbing  them  with  salt,  hang  them  in  the 


Fig.  62. — Fishing  with  Nets. 


open  air  to  dry.  This  method  is  not  particularly 
efficacious.  The  fish  thus  prepared  have  always  a 
disagreeable  taste  and  a  strong  smell ;  they  also  spoil 
very  quickly.  The  working  classes  do  not  seem  to 


104 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTLE. 


mind  these  defects ;  to  them  it  is  a  feast  unobtainable 
every  day,  and  the  rich  themselves  eat  it  occasionally. 

Large  nets  are  used  for  fowling  (Fig.  63).  They 
are  stretched  upon  an  hexagonal  frame  of  wood,  which 
opens  with  hinges.  The  favourite  spot  for  putting  them 
out  is  a  piece  of  almost  clear  water  between  two  tufts 
of  reeds.  The  net  is  opened  and  then  fastened  by  a 


rather  short  cord  to  a  stake  driven  into  the' mud  ;  three 
or  four  men  hold  a  second  very  long  cord,  which  is  so 
arranged  as  to  shut  the  net  when  it  is  drawn.  The 
head  fowler  throws  down  the  bait,  a  few  handfuls  of 
grain  or  some  crumbled  bread,  and,  concealing  himself 
as  much  as  possible,  he  watches  the  movements  of  the 
birds.  As  soon  as  he  considers  them  in  a  good  position, 
he  issues  his  instructions  in  a  low  voice,  ‘Attention, 
walk  well,  the  game  is  ready  !  ’  He  then  rises  suddenly, 
unfolding  a  linen  band,  the  men  draw  the  cord,  and 
the  two  sides  close  with  a  loud  noise.  Ilalf-a-dozen 
geese  that  were  outside  fly  away,  about  thirty  remain 
prisoners.  The  fowlers  quickly  cage  the  young  ones 
that  they  hope  to  tame,  and  tie  the  others  by  the  feet, 
three  or  four  together.  One  wrings  their  necks  and 
plucks  them,  a  second  cuts  off  the  heads  and  draws  them, 
a  third  pots  them  with  salt  without  smoking  them 
(Fig.  64).  Not  only  geese  and  ducks  are  treated  in 
this  way,  but  small  birds,  like  quails  and  partridges. 
The  game  thus  preserved  is  soaked  in  cold  water  for 
some  hours  before  it  is  used,  and  when  sufficiently 
freed  from  salt,  the  birds  are  eaten  raw,  or  arranged  in 
a  stew  ;  well  prepared,  they  form  a  dish  which,  if  not 
delicate,  is  at  least  preferable  to  the  fish. 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTLE. 


105 


Hunting  in  the  desert  was  originally  not  only  a 
pleasure  but  a  necessity.  It  had  two  equally  important 
objects,  the  reinforcement  of  the  herds  and  the 
destruction  of  wild  beasts.  Most  of  the  animals  now 
seen  on  the  farms  were  not  at  that  time  entirely  subject 
to  man.  Sheep,  goats,  and  perhaps  asses,  were  domes¬ 
ticated,  but  the  pig  was  still  half  wild  in  the  sloughs 
of  the  Delta,  and  the  ox  itself  could  be  captured  only 
with  the  lasso.  The  unclaimed  lands,  which  laid 
between  the  last  canals  of  the  Nile  and  the  foot  of  the 
mountains,  formed  the  best  hunting-grounds  ;  there  the 
gazelle,  oryx,  mouflon,  and  ibex,  which  came  down  to 
water  in  the  plain,  were  easily  attacked  and  pursued 
into  the  gorges  or  over  the  desert  table-lands  where 
they  lived.  Mixed  packs,  in  which  the  jackal  and 
hyena-dog  figured  by  the  side  of  the  wolf-dog  and  the 
greyhound,  scented  and  retrieved  for  the  master  the 


prey  which  he  shot  with  his  arrows.  Sometimes  a 
young  animal  followed  the  hunter  who  had  just  killed 
its  mother,  and  was  carrying  the  body  home.  Some¬ 
times  a  gazelle  but  slightly  wounded  was  taken  to  the 
village  and  cured  there.  These  prisoners  were  tamed 
by  daily  contact  with  man,  and  formed  round  his 


106 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTLE. 


dwelling  a  kind  of  incongruous  herd,  which  was  kept 
partly  for  amusement,  but  chiefly  for  the  profit  it 
yielded.  It  was,  in  case  of  need,  a  provisien  of  meat 
on  the  spot.  Frequent  hunts  kept  up  the  numbers, 
and  some  of  the  herds  included  hundreds  of  stock. 
Time  gradually  taught  their  keepers  to  distinguish 
between  the  species  which  could  be  rendered  profitable, 
and  those  which  by  nature  were  incapable  of  domestica¬ 
tion  ;  now  we  occasionally  find  a  few  tame  gazelles  in 
the  houses  of  the  rich,  the  delight  of  the  women  and 
children,  but  herds  of  them  are  no  longer  reared,  and 
hunting  is  now  an  amusement,  not  a  duty. 

Most  of  the  principalities  or  nomes  have  their 
regular  gamekeepers,  under  the  command  of  a  head 
keeper.  Accustomed  to  wander  over  the  mountain 
perpetually,  they  at  last  know  every  yard  of  it.  There 
is  no  path  that  they  have  not  followed,  spring  or  well 
which  they  have  not  discovered,  ravine  which  they 
have  not  explored  from  one  end  to  the  other ;  they 
are  the  vanguard  of  Egypt,  who  keep  watch  against  the 
Bedouins,  and  their  vigilance  has  more  than  once  saved 
the  richest  cantons  and  cities  in  the  valley  from  the 
incursions  of  the  Tahonou,  the  Anou,  the  Qahaq,  and 
other  half-barbarous  tribes  that  roam  to  the  east  and 
west.  Nakhtminou  has  charged  Bakourro,  the  present 
head  gamekeeper,  to  make  the  necessary  preparations 
for  a  battue  of  two  or  three  days’  duration  in  the  direc¬ 
tion  of  the  Lake  of  Gazelles ;  the  general  meet  is  to 
take  place  at  the  entrance  of  the  Valley  of  Apu,  under 
the  Written  Bock,  between  nine  and  ten  in  the  morn¬ 
ing.  A  few  minutes’  walk  along  the  canal,  then  an 
abrupt  turn  to  the  east,  and  the  entrance  of  the  valley 
is  reached.  It  is  the  bed  of  a  dried-up  torrent,  with  a 
bottom  of  fine  sand  strewn  with  fallen  stones.  The 
walls  are  perpendicular,  but  the  action  of  the  sun  has 
destroyed  the  ridge  and  the  upper  strata,  and  the 
loosened  rock  has  crumbled  into  long  banks  of  rubbish 
(Fig.  65).  At  every  rainy  season  this  rubbish  is  dis- 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTLE. 


107 


placed  ;  the  waters  undermine  the  hanks  during  the 
winter  wherever  the  current  strikes  them,  then  carries 
them  away  block  by  block,  throwing  them  further 
down  towards  the  plain.  The  gorge,  which  is  fairly 
wide  at  first,  soon  narrows.  It  is  divided  in  six  places 
by  beds  of  hard,  compact  stone,  which  the  water  has 
not  yet  worn  away  ;  they  form  six  successive  steps, 
from  which  fall  six  cascades  in  the  rainy  season.  In 
passing  from  one  to  the  other,  the  pedestrian  must 


Fig.  65. — The  Valley  of  Apu. 


climb  the  wall  by  steep,  narrow  paths,  full  of  rolling 
stones.  The  interval  between  the  fourth  and  fifth  steps 
forms  a  level  plain  about  two  hundred  yards  square, 
divided  in  the  centre  by  a  narrow  gorge.  The  waters 
continue  there  in  miniature  the  work  that  they  have 
executed  on  a  larger  scale  in  forming  the  valley.  They 
have  hollowed  out  a  trench  from  six  to  eight  yards 
deep,  and  three  or  four  yards  wide,  obstructed  by 
pebbles  and  enormous  blocks  of  stone,  which  are  dis¬ 
placed  and  carried  a  little  further  down  every  year. 


108 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTLE. 


A  strong  vegetation  develops  and  flourishes  in  the 
shade  of  the  rocks  long  after  the  summer  heat  has 
dried  up  everything  around.  One  variety  of  caper- 
bush  with  a  violet  flower,  a  rich  plant  with  round, 
fleshy  leaves,  and  a  species  of  small  tamarisk,  climb 
and  grow  in  the  crevices  wherever  they  find  a  handful 
of  vegetable  earth.  A  few  puddles,  the  last  traces  of 
the  winter  rains,  sparkle  here  and  there ;  in  one  spot, 
more  enclosed  than  the  others,  a  thin  line  of  water, 
still  running  and  leaping  from  one  stone  to  another, 
gives  itself  the  airs  of  a  cascade. 

The  cavalcade  painfully  advances  up  this  ravine.  An 
enormous  rock,  detached  from  the  mountain  many  cen¬ 
turies  ago — perhaps  before  Egypt  itself  existed — stands 
next  the  waterfall  on  the  right  side  of  the  valley.  This 
is  the  Written  Rod;.  It  is  larger  at  the  summit  than 
at  the  base,  and  forms  a  kind  of  tent,  which  can  easily 
shelter  five  or  six  men  from  the  sun.  From  time  imme¬ 
morial  the  gazelle-hunters  have  made  their  siesta  beneath 
its  shade,  and  many  of  them  have  written  their  names 
upon  it,  or  drawn  hunting  scenes  with  their  knives — a 
gazelle,  an  ostrich,  or  a  goose,  which  is  one  of  the  symbols 
of  the  god  Minou,  the  protector  of  the  desert;  lastly,  the 
image  of  Minou  himself,  his  arms  raised,  wearing  feathers 
upon  his  head.  Bakourro  and  his  men  had  arrived  the 
previous  evening.  Some  of  them  carry  the  nets  and  the 
stakes  to  stretch  them  with,  others  hold  the  large  grey¬ 
hounds  with  strange  names — Abaikaro,  Pouhtes,  Togrou 
— in  a  leash.  The  two  parties  join  and  ascend  the  valley 
together  as  far  as  the  well  of  the  spring.  Here  the 
water  slowly  collects  at  the  bottom  of  a  narrow  funnel, 
where  it  is  always  cool.  A  rock  overhangs  it,  in  which 
a  grotto,  or,  rather,  a  niche  has  been  hewn ;  it  is  shallow, 
but  high  enough  for  a  man  to  stand  upright  in  ;  it  is 
dedicated  to  Minou.  A  halt  is  made  in  this  spot  for 
lunch,  and  for  the  party  to  wait  in  the  shade  until  the 
hours  of  noon  are  passed.  About  three  o’clock  the 
huuters  proceed  at  a  more  rapid  pace,  for  the  way  is 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTLE. 


109 


long  and  laborious.  The  valley  ends  in  a  blind  gully, 
about  six  or  eight  hundred  yards  from  the  well.  It  is 
first  a  narrow  gorge,  half  barred  by  enormous  stones, 
then  a  valley  in  which  a  few  inferior  herbs  and  a  group 
of  palm-trees  are  found ;  then  a  new  spring,  which 
filters  drop  by  drop  from  the  base  of  the  mountain ; 
then  an  immense  circle  filled  with  scattered  rocks.  A 
winding  path  leads  to  the  higher  table-land,  which  ex¬ 
tends  beyond  the  range  of  sight  in  gentle  undulations. 
At  nightfall  the  caravan  reaches  the  bank  of  a  hollow, 


Fig.  G6. — Hunting  in  the  Desert. 


filled  with  water,  which  receives  from  the  natives  the 
pompous  name  of  the  Lake  of  Gazelles.  During  the 
night  the  hunters  bar  the  entrance  to  an  abrupt  ravine 
which  opens  near  the  lake  with  nets  extended  over  stakes. 
They  then  make  a  wide  circuit,  and  post  themselves  at 
the  other  extremity  with  a  dozen  dogs.  At  dawn,  the 
animals  from  the  neighbourhood,  which  pass  this  way  as 
they  go  down  to  drink,  enter  the  gorge  as  usual ;  as 
soon  as  about  a  hundred  have  passed,  the  ravine  is  closed 
with  other  nets  and  they  are  taken  in  a  trap.  The  dogs 
are  loosed,  and  (Fig.  b6)  drive  them  along  to  where 
Psarou  and  Nakhtminou,  posted  behind  the  improvised 


110 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTLE. 


fold,  can  without  fatigue  slioot  with  their  arrows  all  that 
come  within  range- — hares,  oryx,  antelopes,  ostriches, 
jackals,  lynx,  even  striped  or  spotted  hyenas;  in  less  than 
two  hours  all  are  taken,  wounded,  or  killed.  Formerly 
this  pastime,  apparently  so  inoffensive,  was  attended  by 
some  danger.  The  lions  and  great  felines,  such  as  the 
leopard  or  the  tiger,  were  fairly  numerous,  and  the  sports¬ 
man  who  started  in  search  of  a  wild  goat  sometimes  met 
them  face  to  face  on  his  road  ;  then  the  hunter  would 
become  the  game.  Now,  however,  lions  have  almost 
disappeared.  The  Pharaohs  pursue  them  continually, 
and  destroy  as  many  as  possible.  Amenophis  III.  killed 


one  hundred  and  twelve  in  the  first  ten  years  of  his 
reign,  and  if  Iiameses  II.  has  not  yet  attained  the  same 
number,  it  is  because  his  predecessors  have  nearly  de¬ 
stroyed  the  race. 

According  to  the  tribes  that  inhabit  the  desert,  it 
formerly  contained  animals  still  more  terrible,  though 
fortunately  rarer,  than  the  lion :  sphinxes  with  human 
heads;  griffins  with  jackals’  bodies,  eagles’  heads,  and 
hawks’  wings ;  tigers  with  serpents’  heads  (Fig.  67). 
No  one  could  ever  boast  of  having  killed  one  of  these 
monsters.  They  avoid  man,  whom  they  could  easily 
kill,  and  are  only  seen  far  away,  on  the  furthest 
limits  of  the  horizon.  Many  people,  Psarou  amongst 
them,  do  not  believe  in  their  existence,  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  hunters  and  the  leaders  of  caravans  tell 
a  thousand  tales  of  their  marvellous  strength  and 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTEE. 


Ill 


curious  characteristics.  Every  one  knows  that  an  oryx 
can  turn  a  man  into  stone  with  a  glance,  and  that  the 
lion  fascinates  its  victim  with  its  eyes  ;  once  stupefied 
he  loses  all  his  will,  the  lion  forces  him  to  follow  it  as 
long  as  it  pleases,  and  then  kills  and  eats  him  at  its 
leisure,  when  it  is  next  hungry.  The  monsters  not 
only  possess  the  same  power,  but  exert  a  malignant  in¬ 
fluence  which  no  one  can  define  over  all  that  they  meet. 
These  creatures  form  the  theme  of  conversation  round 
the  camp-fires  in  the  evening,  and  many  wonderful 
anecdotes  are  told  about  them,  but  none  of  them  are 
seen  during  the  two  days  that  the  party  remain  near 
the  Lake  of  Gazelles.  Perhaps  in  order  to  meet  them 
one  should  penetrate  further  into  the  desert,  to  the 
vicinity  of  the  peak  of  Bakhou  and  the  mysterious 
regions  where  the  sun  first  appears  every  morning  at 
break  of  day. 

Psarou,  who  is  no  longer  young,  returns  delighted 
but  exhausted  from  this  excursion  into  the  desert. 
For  some  days  his  head  has  felt  heavy,  and  he  has 
found  some  trouble  in  working,  or  even  in  thinking. 
Perhaps  this  is  only  a  passing  ailment,  but,  anyhow, 
he  prefers  returning  home  and  being  ill  at  Thebes  if 
really  indisposed.  He  bids  Nakhtminou  farewell,  col¬ 
lects  the  boats  which  carry  the  corn  for  the  taxes  as 
he  passes,  and  invites  the  stewards  of  the  granaries 
to  go  Avith  him.  Their  zeal  deserves  some  reward,  and 
he  wishes  to  present  them  himself  to  Pharaoh  for  the 
decoration  of  the  Golden  Collar.  At  last,  one  week 
after  leaving  Apu,  he  reaches  home  ;  his  wife  Eh  ait 
and  her  children,  Avho  were  impatiently  awaiting  his 
arrival,  keep  him  talking  for  a  good  part  of  the  night, 
and  he  is  too  pleased  to  see  them  again  to  think  of  his 
indisposition.  At  last  he  retires,  but,  tired  as  he  is, 
Psarou  cannot  sleep  for  some  time.  The  events  of 
the  last  few  days  continually  recur  to  his  memory, 
and  this  recollection  possesses  him  so  completely  that 
it  produces  a  species  of  delirium,  of  which  he  is 


112 


LIFE  IN  THE  CASTLE. 


vaguely  conscious.  The  Egyptians  rest  the  head 
upon  a  pillow  of  curved  wood  mounted  upon  a  foot 
(Fig.  68).  The  grotesque  figure  of  the  god  Bisou 
(Fig.  69)  is  often  carved  upon  it, 
a  dwarf  with  short  legs,  large 
stomach,  and  ugly  mask,  but  of  a 
pleasant  disposition,  who  guards 
the  sleeper  from  the  spirits  and 


Fig.  68.— A  Pillow.  Fig.  69. — The  god  Bisou. 

demons  that  roam  about  during  the  night.  Now, 
either  Bisou  is  busy  elsewhere,  or  he  is  careless  in  per¬ 
forming  his  office,  for  Psarou  feels  that  he  is  sur¬ 
rounded  and,  as  it  were,  invaded  by  a  malevolent  force 
against  which  he  struggles  in  vain.  At  last,  towards 
morning,  he  falls  asleep,  but  his  repose  is  troubled  by 
disquieting  dreams,  and  he  obtains  no  rest. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 

Pharaoh’s  palace  —  Psarou’s  audience  —  The  distribution  of  golden 
collars — The  Egyptian  doctor:  sorcerers  and  doctors  —  Treatises 
upon  medicine  —  The  exorcist :  incantation  against  the  spirits  in 
possession  of  the  patient  —  Death  and  the  first  mourning — Dura¬ 
tion  of  the  soul  —  Osiris,  the  first  mummy  —  Embalmment  — 
Preparation  of  the  funeral  furniture—  the  coffin  ana  the  amulets 
— The  mummy. 

Two  sharp  knocks  at  the  door  suddenly  awaken  him ; 
a  herald  is  there,  to  take  him  to  the  palace  by  Pharaoh’s 
command.  No  invitation  could  be  less  welcome,  for 
his  indisposition,  instead  of  passing  off  as  he  hoped, 
had  increased  during  the  night.  His  head  feels  heavy 
and  burning,  his  tongue  dry  and  bitter ;  he  aches  all 
over,  and  strange  starts  shake  him  from  time  to  time. 
But  no  matter :  when  Pharaoh  speaks,  all  must  obey. 
He  rises,  rouges  his  cheeks  and  lips  to  conceal  their 
pallor,  puts  on  the  long,  curled  wig,  which  has  never 
felt  so  heavy  before,  and  the  white  linen  robe,  and 
painfully  enters  his  chariot.  The  Egyptian  palaces  are 
not  built  for  eternity  like  the  temples.  They  are  light 
constructions  of  w’ood,  brick,  or  undressed  freestone, 
but  rarely  blended  with  granite  except  for  the  decora¬ 
tion  of  the  great  doorways.  They  recall  the  villa 
of  Nakhtminou  on  a  large  scale :  isolated  pavilions 
for  the  harem,  storehouses  for  the  provisions,  barracks 
and  quarters  for  the  royal  guard  and  for  the  person¬ 
ages  attached  to  the  household ;  large  courts  planted 
with  trees,  gardens  with  kiosks  and  pools,  where  the 


114 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 


women  can  amuse  themselves.  A  strong  crenellated 
wall  gives  the  dwelling  the  appearance  of  a  fortress 
or  of  an  entrenched  camp,  and  at  times,  in  case  of 
riots  or  conspiracies,  the  royal  god  has  owed  his  safety 
to  the  solidity  of  his  doors  and  the  height  of  his  walls. 
Without  dismounting,  Psarou  crosses  a  yard,  where 
the  Shairetana*  are  on  duty  with  a  few  Egyptian 
archers ;  and  after  making  himself  known  to  their 
officer,  he  enters  the  court  of  honour,  followed  by  his 
band  of  collectors  and  rural  officials. 

The  gallery,  where  the  king  sits  during  the 
audience,  is  placed  exactly  opposite  the  entrance- 
gate,  projecting  from  the  wall  of  the  facade,  and  com¬ 
municating  directly  with  the  private  apartments.  It 
is  raised  four  or  five  yards  above  the  ground,  orna¬ 
mented  breast-high  with  a  cushion  of  stuff  embroidered 
with  red  and  blue,  and  sheltered  by  a  canopy  of 
curiously  carved  planks,  supported  by  two  slender 
wooden  pillars  painted  in  bright  colours  and  orna¬ 
mented  at  the  top  by  many-coloured  streamers.  As 
Psarou  leaves  his  chariot  and  prostrates  himself  be¬ 
tween  the  two  columns,  Raineses  appears  in  the  front 
of  the  box  with  Nefertari  and  addresses  some  affable 
words  to  him,  which  he  is  careful  not  to  answer. 
Etiquette  forbids  any  subject  to  present  himself  before 
Pharaoh  without  being  apparently  stupefied  and  over¬ 
whelmed  ;  his  tongue  fails,  his  limbs  sink  beneath 
him,  his  heart  ceases  to  beat,  he  does  not  know  whether 
lie  is  alive  or  dead. 

He  does  not  recover  himself  until  he  hears  rharaoh 
say  to  one  of  the  Friends f  who  stand  at  the  foot  of  the 
tribune,  ‘  Raise  him,  that  he  may  speak  to  me.’  Then 
Psarou  officially  returns  to  life  and  stands.  ‘  Thou  art 
then  returned  in  peace,’  continues  Pharaoh,  ‘  and  thy 
business  has  been  well  done.  But  are  not  those  who 

*  See  page  88,  what  is  said  of  the  Shnretana. 

t  The  word  Friend  is  one  of  the  titles  given  to  the  highest  posi¬ 
tions  in  the  household  of  the  king. 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 


115 


stand  behind  thee  the  stewards  of  the  granaries  and 
their  scribes?’  ‘They  are,  Sovereign,  our  Master. 
They  have  done  more  for  thee  than  has  ever  been 


Fig.  70. — The  King  (Amenophis  IV.)  and  his  Family  throwing 
Golden  Collars  to  the  People. 

done  since  the  time  of  the  god  Ra,  for  they  have 
collected  more  wheat  in  this  one  season  than  has 
been  harvested  during  the  last  thirty  years.’  ‘That 


116 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 


is  well,'"  replied  Pliaraoh ;  then  turning  towards  the 
queen,  ‘Here  is  Psarou,  who  has  returned  to  us  from 
the  fields.  Does  it  not  seem  to  you  that  he  has 
acquired  something  of  the  appearance  and  manners 
of  a  rustic?’  This  jest,  which  is  a  proof  of  unusual 
satisfaction,  delights  all  present.  The  laughter  passes 
from  the  king  to  the  queen,  from  thence  to  the 
friends,  and  then  on  by  precedence  to  the  groups 
scattered  in  the  court.  Pharaoh  then  calls  one  of  his 
chamberlains.  ‘Let  gold,  much  gold,  be  given  to  the 
praiseworthy  nomarch,  the  Count  of  Thebes,  Psarou, 
whose  age  is  advanced  and  happy,  and  who  has  never 
committed  a  fault.’  Some  attendants  bring  him  upon 
a  stand  a  pile  of  collars  and  bracelets  in  gold  and 
silver  gilt,  of  weight  and  size  proportioned  to  the 
value  of  the  services  rendered  (Fig.  70).  He  takes 
one  and  throws  it  from  the  box,  the  queen  follows  his 
example,  and  three  little  princesses,  running  up  as  to  a 
new  game,  soon  throw  down  the  remainder. 

The  friends  pass  the  largest  collar  round  Psarou’s 
neck,  and  fasten  the  smaller  ones  to  it,  so  that  they 
fall  upon  his  chest  like  a  golden  breastplate.  Standing 
upri  ght,  with  raised  arms,  he  chants  a  hymn  of  thanks. 
‘  Beautiful  is  thy  rising,  good  prince,  beloved  of  Amen, 
thou  who  art  eternally  equal  to  thy  father,  Pa,  and 
who  sharest  his  immortality.  Oh,  prince  !  who  art 
Ilorus  amongst  men,  thou  who  hast  given  me  life,  me 
and  my  double,  we  are  joyful  in  thy  presence,  happy 
are  those  who  obey  thee ;  I  am  humble,  hut  thou  hast 
made  me  great  by  all  that  thou  hast  done  for  me,  and 
I  have  reached  a  happy  old  age  without  being  once 
found  criminal.’  ( tfficials  issuing  from  the  two  doors 
which  flank  the  tribune  now  enter  the  yard  laden  with 
collars  and  bracelets,  with  which  they  decorate  the 
stewards  of  the  granaries.  F ull  of  gratitude,  the  latter 
salute  Pharaoh  with  raised  hands  and  straight  bodies, 
then  kneeling,  prostrate  themselves  till  their  faces 
touch  the  ground,  rising  with  bowed  spine  and 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 


117 


drooping  arms,  finally  standing  upriglit,  in  tlie  succes¬ 
sive  postures  of  adoration  (Fig.  71).  A  busy  scribe 
rapidly  registers  the  number  of  the  jewels  distributed, 


and  the  names  of  the  recipients  (Fig.  72) ;  the  soldiers 
come  from  their  quarters  and  join  their  shouts  to  those 
of  the  fortunate  officials ;  slaves  bending  beneath  the 
weight  of  large  amphorae  come  forward  and  pour  out 
wine  and  beer  for  the  crowd  assembled  outside  (Fig.  73). 


Fig.  72. — The  Scribe  registering  Fig.  73. — The  Slaves  bearing 
the  Golden  Collars.  the  Jars  of  Wine. 


For  a  few  minutes  the  whole  scene  is  full  of  confusion 
and  of  noisy  delight,  which  appear  to  give  much  satis¬ 
faction  to  the  royal  family.  Psarou  at  length  retires ;  as 
soon  as  he  has  crossed  the  threshold  his  friends,  slaves, 


118 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 


all  the  members  of  his  family  ami  household,  rush  to 
him,  and  overwhelm  him  with  caresses,  kissing  his 
hands,  feet,  and  clothes,  and  congratulating  him  in 
broken  phrases  (Fig.  74).  If  he  has  worked  hard,  at 


a 


Fig.  74. — Psarou  congratulated 
by  Lis  Family. 


all  events  his  reward  is 
great,  and  one  hour  like 
this  in  a  man’s  life  suf¬ 
fices  to  redeem  many 
years  of  trial. 

Psarou,  sustained  by 
pride  and  emotion,  has 
never  faltered  for  an  in¬ 
stant,  during-  this  long 
ceremony ;  but  pain  re¬ 
sumes  its  ascendancy 
even  before  he  leaves  the 
palace,  and  when  he 
reaches  home  he  falls 
rather  than  alights  from 


his  chariot,  and  sinks  into 
the  arms  of  his  wife,  who  has  come  to  meet  and  wel¬ 
come  him.  The  attendants  quickly  remove  the  mass 
of  gold  that  weighs  upon  his  chest,  he  is  undressed 
and  laid  upon  a  bed,  but  he  only  regains  partial  con¬ 
sciousness,  and  remains  plunged  in  a  kind  of  painful 
stupor;  it  is  no  longer  a  passing  indisposition,  but  a 
serious  illness,  and  no  one  can  tell  how  it  will  end. 
The  Egyptians  are  not  yet  resigned  to  think  that  ill¬ 
ness  and  death  are  natural  and  inevitable.  They  think 
that  life,  once  commenced,  should  be  indefinitely  pro¬ 
longed  ;  if  no  accident  intervened,  what  reason  could 
there  be  for  its  ceasing  P 


In  Egypt,  therefore,  man  does  not  die,  but  some 
one  or  something  assassinates  him.  The  murderer 
often  belongs  to  our  world,  and  can  be  easily  pointed 
out :  another  man,  an  animal,  an  inanimate  object,  a 
stone  detached  from  the  mountain,  a  tree  falling  upon 
a  traveller  and  crushing  him.  Often,  though,  it  be- 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 


119 


longs  to  the  invisible  world,  and  only  reveals  itself  by 
the  malignity  of  its  attacks :  it  is  a  god,  a  spirit,  the 
soul  of  a  dead  man,  that  lias  cunningly  entered  a  living 
person,  or  that  throws  itself  upon  him  with  irresistible 
violence.  Once  in  possession  of  the  body,  the  evil  in¬ 
fluence  breaks  the  bones,  sucks  out  the  marrow,  drinks 
the  blood,  gnaws  the  intestines  and  the  heart,  and 
devours  the  flesh.  The  invalid  perishes  according  to 
the  progress  of  this  destructive  work  ;  and  death 
speedily  ensues,  unless  the  evil  genius  can  be  driven 
out  before  it  has  committed  irreparable  damage.  Who¬ 
ever  treats  a  sick  person  has  therefore  two  equally  im¬ 
portant  duties  to  perform.  He  must  first  discover  the 
nature  of  the  spirit  in  possession,  and,  if  necessary,  its 
name,  and  then  attack  it,  drive  it  out,  or  even  destroy 
it.  He  can  only  succeed  by  powerful  magic,  so  he 
must  be  an  expert  in  reciting  incantations,  and  skilful 
in  making  amulets.  He  must  then  use  medicine  to 
contend  with  the  disorders  which  the  presence  of  the 
strange  being  has  produced  in  the  body ;  this  is  done 
by  a  finely  graduated  regime  and  various  remedies. 
The  cure-workers  are  therefore  divided  into  several 
categories.  Some  incline  towards  sorcery,  and  have 
faith  in  formulas  and  talismen  only ;  they  think  they 
have  done  enough  if  they  have  driven  out  the  spirit. 
Others  extol  the  use  of  drugs ;  they  study  the  qualities 
of  plants  and  minerals,  describe  the  diseases  to  which 
each  of  the  substances  provided  by  nature  is  suitable, 
and  settle  the  exact  time  when  they  must  be  procured 
and  applied :  certain  herbs  have  no  power  unless  they 
are  gathered  during  the  night  at  the  full  moon,  others 
are  efficacious  in  summer  only,  another  acts  equally 
well  in  winter  or  summer.  The  best  doctors  carefully 
avoid  binding  themselves  exclusively  to  either  method, 
they  carefully  distinguish  between  those  cases  in  which 
magic  is  sovereign  and  those  in  which  natural  methods 
suffice,  whilst  their  treatment  is  a  mixture  of  remedies 
and  exorcisms  which  vary  from  patient  to  patient. 


120 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 


They  are  usually  priests,  and  derive  their  knowledge 
from  the  source  of  all  science — the  works  that  Thoth 
and  Imhotpou  *  composed  upon  this  subject  soon  after 
the  creation.  Deposited  in  the  sanctuaries,  these  works 
were  for  a  long  time  unknown  to  all,  but  they  have 
been  restored  to  us  one  after  the  other  by  special  reve¬ 
lation  in  the  centuries  which  followed  the  accession  of 
Meues.  The  Treatise  upon  the  Destruction  of  Pustules 
upon  the  Limbs  of  Man  was  found  in  this  way  ‘beneath 
the  feet  of  the  god  Anubis  at  Letopolis,  and  brought 
to  the  king  Ilousaphaiti  ’  of  the  second  dynasty.  Ano¬ 
ther  ‘was  found  in  the  great  hall  of  the  temple  of 
Coptos  by  a  priest  belonging  to  the  temple.  Whilst 
the  wlmle  earth  was  plunged  in  darkness,  the  moon 
suddenly  rising  shone  upon  the  book  and  lighted  it  by 
her  beams.  It  was  then  brought  to  King  Kheops  as  a 
miraculous  discovery.’  To  these  divine  works  phy¬ 
sicians  have  now  added  prescriptions  borrowed  from 
celebrated  foreign  doctors,  Phoenician  or  Syrian,  and 
have  also  enriched  them  with  all  the  observations  they 
have  made  in  the  course  of  their  own  practice.  Every 
doctor  who  has  tried  one  of  the  remedies  recommended 
by  the  author  notes  the  case  in  the  margin  or  between 
the  lines  of  his  copy,  and  briefly  states  the  result  ob¬ 
tained — which  formula  is  good,  which  is  uncertain,  and 
which  is  ineffectual  or  produces  fatal  results ;  by  this 
means  the  experience  gained  is  not  lost,  and  the  trea¬ 
sure  of  science  increases  from  generation  to  generation. 

Ivhait  summons  an  exorcist  to  see  her  husband. 
Nibamon  is  unequalled  in  Thebes  for  his  skill  in  curing 
the  most  violent  headaches.  He  arrives  towards  evening, 
accompanied  by  two  servants ;  one  carries  his  black 
book,  the  other  a  casket,  filled  with  the  necessary  in¬ 
gredients  for  manufacturing  every  variety  of  talisman 
on  the  spot — clay  for  modelling,  plants,  dried  or  freshly 

*  Imhotpou  was  the  god  of  medicine,  whom  the  Greeks  after¬ 
wards  identified  with  their  Esculapius;  he  was  a  Memphite  god,  the 
son  of  Ptah. 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 


121 


culled,  consecrated  linen,  black  or  red  ink,  small  figures 
in  wax  or  baked  earth.  One  glance  at  the  patient  tells 
him  the  cause  of  the  illness  ;  a  dead  man  visits  Psarou 
every  night,  and  is  slowly  devouring  him.  After  a 
few  moments’  reflection,  he  takes  a  little  clay,  mixes 
some  blades  of  grass  with  it,  and  kneads  the  whole  into 
a  rather  large  ball,  over  which  he  recites,  in  a  low 
tone,  one  of  the  most  powerful  incantations  contained 
in  his  book. 

The  best  way  of  driving  away  the  rebellious  spirits 
is  to  persuade  them  that  their  victims  are  placed  under 
the  immediate  protection  of  one  or  of  several  divinities; 
in  tormenting  him  it  is  the  gods  themselves  that  they 
unconsciously  provoke,  and  if  they  persevere  in  their 
evil  designs  they  risk  annihilation  from  the  person 
whom  they  expected  to  destroy  with  impunity.  Ps  i- 
bamon’s  incantation  commences  by  announcing  that 
‘  The  magic  virtues  of  Psarou,  son  of  the  Lady  Tent- 
noubit,  are  the  virtues  of  Osiris-Atmu,  the  father  of 
the  gods,’  and  then,  since  this  too  general  proposition 
would  not  suffice  to  alarm  the  ghost,  the  magician 
enumerates  the  portions  which  compose  the  head  of 
Psarou,  and  proves  that  they  are  all  armed  with  divine 
charms.  ‘  The  magic  virtues  of  his  left  temple  are  the 
virtues  of  the  temple  of  Tmu  ;  the  virtues  of  his  right 
eye  are  the  virtues  of  that  eye  of  Tmu  which  pierces 
the  darkness  with  its  rays.  The  virtues  of  his  left  eye 
are  the  virtues  of  that  eye  of  Homs  which  destroys.’ 
When  the  litany  is  ended,  if  the  evil  one  does  not 
yield,  he  is  told  that  each  of  Psarou’s  limbs  is,  so  to 
speak,  a  distinct  god.  ‘  His  upper  lip  is  Isis,  his  lower 
lip  is  Nephthys,  his  neck  is  the  goddess,  his  teeth  are 
swords,  his  flesh  is  Osiris,  his  hands  are  divine  souls ; 
his  fingers  are  blue  serpents,  the  adders,  the  sons  of  the 
goddess  Selk  ;  his  loins  are  the  two  feathers  of  Amen, 
his  back  is  the  spine  of  Sibou,  his  stomach  is  Nou,’  and 
so  on  to  the  soles  of  his  feet :  in  short,  he  is  a  god,  and 
one  of  the  most  formidable  of  the  gods,  that  one  to 


122 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 


whom  nothing  in  Heliopolis  is  closed.  This  is  an 
ingenious  method  of  insinuating  that  Psarou  is  an 
incarnation  of  Ra,  without,  however,  directly  making 
the  assertion.  Four  times  Nibamon  repeats  his  formula, 
and  then  glides  the  ball  under  the  sick  man’s  head. 
To-night  when  the  dead  man  appears  he  will  not  have 
sufficient  strength  to  do  any  harm,  and  he  will  remain 
powerless  so  long  as  the  ball  remains  in  its  place. 

Khait,  half  reassured,  rapidly  slips  a  few  golden 
rings  into  the  hand  of  the  holy  man,  and  invites  him 
to  return  to-morrow  to  see  the  success  of  his  remedy. 
Psarou,  after  dreaming  all  night,  has  bled  from  the 
nose  during  the  following  morning  and  has  been  seized 
with  foetid  diarrhoea.  These  incidents  distress  Nibamon 
but  do  not  surprise  him.  The  evil  spirits  are  always 
unwilling  to  leave  their  prey,  and  always  endeavour  to 
dispute  it,  inch  by  inch,  with  the  magician  who  opposes 
them.  The  ghost,  driven  from  the  head,  now  attacks 
the  stomach,  and  he  will  only  yield  to  a  new  spell. 
Tradition  relates  that  Ra  was  one  day  seized  with  hor¬ 
rible  pains  ;  Horus  at  once  modelled  a  statue  of  Isis  as 
a  child,  and  by  their  magic  the  gods  of  Heliopolis 
transferred  to  it  the  pain  endured  by  the  Sun.  Niba- 
mon  unhesitatingly  applies  the  same  remedy  to  Psarou. 
He  takes  a  doll  from  his  casket  which  resembles  the 
one  used  by  Horus,  and  murmurs  over  it  an  incanta¬ 
tion,  in  which  the  history  of  the  cure  is  briefly 
related.  ‘  Horus  is  there  with  Ra,  who  is  suffering 
in  the  stomach.  Cry  aloud  to  the  chiefs  of  Heliopolis : 
“  Come  quickly  with  your  writings  !  for  Ra  is  suffering, 
and  if  he  is  allowed  to  suffer  for  an  instant,  it  will  be  all 
over  with  the  living  god.”  Cry  aloud  to  the  guardian 
of  the  west,  the  chief  of  the  desert,  that  he  may  come 
and  relieve  this  suffering  body  that  it  may  be  cured.’ 
These  words,  intentionally  obscure,  may  lead  the  gods 
of  Heliopolis  to  suppose  that  their  king  is  ill  once 
more ;  they  will  hurry  with  their  books  of  magic,  and 
will  save  Psarou  in  believing  they  are  saving  Ra. 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 


123 


The  malady  will  pass  into  the  image  of  Isis,  who  will 
henceforth  retain  it  and  the  spirit  that  produces  it. 

The  second  incantation  succeeds  no  better  than  the 
first,  and  days  pass  by  bringing  no  improvement:  the 
headache  diminishes,  but  round,  pink  spots  appear  upon 
the  body;  the  strength  diminishes,  the  stupor  increases, 
and  Psarou  seems  no  longer  conscious  of  what  passes 
around  him.  The  exorcist  has  failed;  it  is  time  to  call 
in  a  doctor.  Pshadou  has  studied  in  the  temple  of 
Pleliopolis,  he  is  chief  physician  to  Pharaoh,  and  has 
often  succeeded  in  curing  cases  that  others  had  des¬ 
paired  of.  His  first  impression  is  unfavourable,  but 
he  does  not  express  it,  for  fear  of  alarming  the  family ; 
he  inquires  into  the  symptoms,  the  treatment  adopted, 
then  methodically  examines  the  patient  from  head  to 
foot.  It  is  unmistakably  one  of  those  formidable  in¬ 
ternal  maladies  minutely  described  in  the  books  of 
Thoth.  The  illness  has  been  left  to  itself  so  long  that 
no  human  aid  can  now  arrest  its  course ;  Pshadou  pre¬ 
scribes  a  remedy  more  to  satisfy  his  own  conscience 
than  in  any  hope  of  relieving  his  patient. 

At  nightfall  a  severe  pain  in  the  stomach  rouses 
Psarou  from  his  stupor ;  he  is  seized  with  shivering 
fits  and  sickness ;  death  will  soon  follow.  Efhait 
remains  by  her  husband,  and  the  children  sitting 
about  the  room  sorrowfully  await  the  end.  Sometimes 
one  of  the  women  interrupts  the  silence  by  a  short 
exclamation,  ‘  Oh,  my  master  !  ’  ‘  Oh,  my  father  !  ’ 

‘  Oh,  my  beloved !  ’  which  the  others  repeat  in  a 
louder  tone,  prolong  for  a  moment,  and  then  abruptly 
cease.  Towards  morning  a  sudden  burst  of  lamenta¬ 
tions  and  cries  wakens  the  neighbours  and  tells  them 
that  all  is  over.  Wife,  children,  relations,  slaves — 
the  whole  family  appear  smitten  with  sudden  madness. 
They  throw  themselves  upon  the  corpse,  embrace  it, 
literally  inundate  it  with  tears ;  they  beat  their  chests 
and  tear  their  clothes.  After  a  few  moments  the 
women  leave  the  chamber  of  death ;  then,  with  nude 


124 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 


bosoms,  bead  sullied  with  dust,  the  hair  dishevelled, 
and  feet  bare,  they  rush  from  the  house  into  the  still, 
deserted  streets.  Everywhere,  as  they  pass,  their 
acquaintances,  friends,  and  clients  arrive,  but  half 
clothed,  and  join  the  procession,  crying  aloud.  Soon 
the  whole  neighbourhood  re-echoes  with  wild  clamour, 
to  which  even  the  indifferent  respond  from  their 
houses.  In  the  meantime  the  slaves  who  remain  with 
the  corpse  hastily  wash  it  and  carry  it  to  the  em- 
baliners.  Two  hours  later,  when  the  women,  tired  of 
running  about,  return  to  the  house,  they  find  the  doors 
open,  the  fires  out,  the  rooms  empty.  Psarou  has  left 
his  dwelling  ‘  above  the  earth,’  and  the  place  wdiere 
yesterday  he  was  master  already  knows  him  no  more. 

The  soul  does  not  die  at  the  same  time  that  the 
breath  expires  upon  the  lips  of  man ;  it  survives,  but 
with  a  precarious  life,  of  which  the  duration  depends 
upon  that  of  the  corpse,  and  is  measured  by  it.  Whilst 
it  decays,  the  soul  perishes  at  the  same  time ;  it  loses 
consciousness,  and  gradually  loses  substance  too,  until 
nothing  but  an  unconscious,  empty  form  remains, 
which  is  finally  effaced,  when  no  traces  of  the  skeleton 
are  left.  Such  an  existence  is  agony  uselessly  pro¬ 
longed,  and  to  deliver  the  double  from  it,  the  flesh 
must  be  rendered  incorruptible.  This  is  attained  by 
embalming  it  as  a  mummy.  Like  every  art  that  is 
useful  to  man,  this  one  is  of  divine  origin.  It  was 
unknown  in  the  ages  that  followed  the  creation,  and 
the  firstborn  of  men  died  twice,  first  in  the  body  and 
then  in  the  double.  But  Typlion  having  assassinated 
Osiris,  Ilorus  collected  the  pieces  of  his  father,  per¬ 
fumed  them  with  the  help  of  Isis  and  Nepbthys,  of 
Thoth  and  Anubis,  saturated  them  with  preserving 
fluids,  and  enveloped  them  in  bands,  pronouncing  all 
the  time  certain  formulas,  which  rendered  his  work 
eternal  (Fig.  75).  Osiris  was  therefore  the  first 
mummy,  and  from  it  the  others  were  all  copied. 

When  the  embaliners  receive  a  corpse,  they  show 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 


125 


the  relations  three  models  in  wood  of  natural  size  from 
which  they  ask  them  to  choose  the  preparation  they 
wish  for.  In  the  first  the  body  is  treated  exactly  in 
the  same  way  as  Horns  treated  Osiris :  perfumes, 
drugs,  stuffs,  amulets,  prayers,  are  all  repeated,  even 
to  the  smallest  details,  so  as  to  secure  for  the  man  the 


immortality  attained  by  the  god.  This  method  is 
admirable  in  its  effect,  but  it  is  so  long  and  so 
costly  that  only  princes  and  the  great  men  of  this 
world  are  wealthy  enough  to  pay  for  it.  The  second, 
■which  does  not  involve  such  complicated  operations, 
requires  less  time  and  money,  and  is  reserved  for 
people  of  average  fortune.  The  third,  which  is  per¬ 
formed  for  a  very  small  sum,  is  applied  to  the  poor, 
that  is,  to  four- fifths  of  the  Egyptian  population. 
The  three  methods  are  based  upon  the  same  principle 


126 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 


- — to  extract  from  tlie  body  those  parts  winch  easily 
decay,  then  saturate  the  remainder  in  salts  and  aro¬ 
matics  to  prevent  any  change  taking  place  in  it.  The 
drugs  used  are  more  or  less  valuable,  the  work  more  or 
less  carefully  done,  the  appearance  of  the  mummy 
more  or  less  luxurious,  according  to  the  price  given ; 
but  the  result  is  the  same  in  all  cases — the  body  lasts 
instead  of  perishing,  and  its  perpetuity  guarantees 
that  of  its  double. 

Psarou  is  of  too  high  rank  for  any  hesitation  to  be 
possible  even  for  a  minute ;  the  first  class  of  embalm¬ 
ment  is  ordered  for  him.  Besides,  Pharaoh  has  in¬ 
formed  the  family  that  he  will  defray  all  the  expenses 
of  it  in  consideration  of  the  services  of  the  deceased. 
The  corpse  is  undressed,  washed,  stretched  upon  the 
ground,  the  head  to  the  south,  under  the  direction  of  a 
master  of  the  ceremonies.  A  prayer  is  said,  and  a 
surgeon  passes  a  curved  instrument  up  the  left  nostril, 
with  which  he  breaks  the  divisions  of  the  skull  and 
withdraws  the  brain  piece  by  piece.  Another  prayer, 
and  a  scribe  tracks  a  line  in  ink  about  four  inches  long 
upon  the  left  side  of  the  stomach  above  the  groin,  at 
the  exact  spot  where  Horns  opened  the  body  of  Osiris. 
Another  prayer,  and  an  eviscerator  makes  the  incision 
with  an  Ethiopian  stone  knife.  It  is  considered 
sacrilege  to  open  a  human  body,  so  as  soon  as  the 
operator  has  accomplished  his  task  the  assistants  attack 
him,  hustle  and  abuse  him,  and  drive  him  from  the 
room  with  sticks  and  stones.  One  of  the  embalmers 
thrusts  his  hand  into  the  wound  with  every  mark  of 
profound  respect,  and  rapidly  removes  the  intestines, 
heart,  lungs — all  the  vital  organs — washes  the  cavities 
with  palm  wine,  and  tills  them  with  crushed  aromatics. 
One  last  prayer,  and  the  funeral  workmen  carry  the 
mutilated  remains  of  what  was  Psarou,  to  plunge  them 
into  the  bath  of  liquid  natron  in  which  they  must  soak 
for  seventy  days. 

Whilst  they  are  being  slowly  impregnated  with  im- 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 


127 


mortality,  twenty  workshops  of  different  trades  are  busy 
preparing  a  trousseau  and  furniture  for  the  double, 
worthy  of  the  rank  he  occupied  in  this  world  and  that 
he  hopes  to  regain  in  the  next.  It  is  really  a  house 
that  is  being  prepared  for  him,  with  equal,  if  not 
superior,  luxury  to  that  he  had  enjoyed  during  his 
life.  Sculptors  are  engaged  in  forming  statuettes  by 
the  dozen,  seated,  standing,  squatting.  Engravers  are 
preparing  beautiful  steles  upon  which  posterity  may 
read  his  name,  functions,  and  titles,  the  eulogy  of  his 
virtues,  the  assurance  of  his  perfect  felicity.  Potters 
are  baking  figurines  of  blue  and  green  enamel ;  gold¬ 
smiths  are  working  at  rings,  finger-rings,  and  collars  ; 
hairdressers  are  preparing  wigs  of  every  shape — high, 
low,  with  or  without  curls,  black  or  blue.  He  has 
already  in  reserve  a  storehouse  full  of  armchairs,  stools, 
beds,  tables,  linen  and  perfume  chests,  to  which  is  now 
added  the  new  furniture 
for  which  he  has  just  been 
measured— the  coffins.  He 
must  have  two  at  least, 
exactly  fitting  each  other, 
the  outline  following  the 
general  lines  of  a  human 
body,  or  rather  mummy. 

The  feet  and  legs  are 
joined  together.  The 
curves  of  the  knee,  calf 
of  the  leg,  thigh,  and 
stomach,  are  vaguely  mo¬ 
delled  in  the  wood.  The 
head  reproduces  the  fea¬ 
tures  of  Psarou,  a  little 
idealised  (Fig.  76);  the 
cheeks  are  full,  the  mouth 
smiling,  and  large  enamel 
eyes  fastened  into  bronze 
ognomy  a  strikingly  life-like  expression. 


Fig.  76. — A  Mummy’s  Head  in 
the  Coffin. 

eyelids  give  to  the  physi- 


128 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 


The  dead  man  in  his  coffins  resembles  a  statue  of 
himself,  which  can  stand  upon  its  feet  as  upon  a  base 
when  necessary.  Then  there  are  some  requisite  but  less 
important  objects  to  be  made,  useful  for  his  comfort 
and  pleasure — chariots  for  travelling  upon  the  earth, 
small  boats  for  crossing  the  water  or  for  transporting 
his  harvests,  weapons  for  war  and  for  hunting,  games 
of  different  kinds,  particularly  draughts  with  many- 
coloured  pieces,  the  instruments  required  for  his  work 
as  a  scribe,  palettes,  kalams,  cups,  pastilles  of  colour 
and  of  dry  ink;  even  a  small  library,  traced  upon 
pieces  of  calcareous  stone,  containing  extracts  of 
novels,  pieces  of  poetry,  and  religious  hymns.  The 
dead,  to  be  quite  happy  in  his  eternal  home,  must  find 
in  it  the  equivalent  of  all  that  he  has  liked  upon  earth. 
Meanwhile  his  family  pass  the  long  days  of  waiting  in 
tears  and  sadness.  They  take  no  baths,  and  scarcely 
wash  themselves.  They  abstain  from  wine,  meat,  and 
wheaten  bread,  living  on  black  bread  and  water.  The 
men  allow  the  hair  and  beard  to  grow.  The  women 
abstain  from  dressing  their  hair,  rouging  their  eyes 
and  face,  or  dyeing  their  hands  with  henna.  Twice 
a-day  they  meet  in  the  mortuary  chamber  to  weep 
together.  The  master’s  death  has  suspended  the  whole 
course  of  the  ordinary  life  of  the  house. 

The  body  taken  from  the  brine  is  but  a  skeleton, 
covered  with  a  yellowish,  parchment-like  skin ;  but 
the  head  has  retained  nearly  all  its  purity  of  form. 
The  cheeks  are  slightly  hollowed,  the  lips  are  thinner, 
the  nostrils  are  finer,  more  drawn  than  during  life, 
but  the  face  is  not  changed ;  but  for  the  immobility 
of  the  features  and  the  brown  colour  of  the  skin, 
beneath  which  the  blood  no  longer  flows,  one  might 
say  that  Psarou  still  lives  and  will  soon  awake 
(Fig.  77).  The  embalmers  take  advantage  of  the  sup¬ 
pleness  which  the  natron  has  preserved  in  the  limbs  to 
place  the  feet  closely  together  and  to  cross  the  arms. 
They  wad  the  stomach  and  chest  with  linen  and  saw- 


Fig  77. — A  Mammy’s  Head  :  the  King  Seti  I.  from  a  Photograph  taken 
from  the  Corpse  preserved  in  the  Museum  at  Boulak. 


10 


130 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 


dust  mixed  with,  aromatic  powders,  then  commence  the 
wrapping  of  the  body.  Their  profession  obliges  them 
to  be  priests  and  expert  magicians  as  well  as  skilful 
surgeons.  They  fulfil  towards  the  corpse  those  duties 
which  Anubis  and  the  children  of  Horus  accomplished 
for  Osiris  in  the  fabrication  of  the  first  mummy,  like 
incarnate  forms  of  these  divinities.  The  funeral  swathe 
becomes  in  their  hands  a  lacing  of  mystic  bands,  each 
with  its  own  signification,  destined  to  guard  the  body 
from  all  the  dangers  and  all  the  enemies  which  threaten 
it — gods  and  men  as  well  as  insects  and  decay ;  in  it 
they  place  amulets,  figurines,  dry  flowers,  blades  of 
grass,  plates  covered  with  hieroglyphics,  which  form  a 

kind  of  magic  armour 
for  the  dead.  The  mas¬ 
ter  of  the  ceremonies 
fastens  at  the  dead 
man’s  throat  a  scara- 
baeus  of  green  jasper 
bearing  an  inscription, 
which  forbids  his  heart, 
‘  the  heart  which  came 
to  him  from  his  mother, 
the  heart  which  accom¬ 
panied  him  upon  the 
earth,  to  rise  up  and  witness  against  him  before  the 
tribunal  of  Osiris.’  Rings  of  gold  and  of  blue  or 
green  enamel  are  placed  upon  his  fingers  as  amulets, 
which  give  him  a  correct  voice  and  enable  him  to 
recite  prayers  with  the  intonation  which  renders  them 
irresistible.  The  head  disappears  beneath  a  lawn 
mask  and  a  netwoi’k  of  gummed  bands,  which  almost 
double  its  size.  The  limbs  and  trunk  are  wrapped  in 
a  first  layer  of  supple,  soft  stuff,  warm  to  the  touch 
(Fig.  78).  Pieces  of  half-pulverised  natron  are  thrown 
here  and  there  as  relays  of  preservative  materials. 
Packets  placed  in  the  interstices  of  the  legs,  between 
the  arms  and  hips,  in  the  hollow  of  the  stomach  and 


Fig  78. — Wrapping  up  the  Mummy. 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 


131 


round  the  neck,  enclose  the  heart,  spleen,  dried  frag¬ 
ments  of  the  brain,  the  hair,  and  parings  of  the  beard 
or  nails.  In  magic  the  hair  plays  an  important  role : 
hy  burning  it  with  certain  incantations  almost  un¬ 
limited  power  is  acquired  over  the  person  to  whom 
it  has  belonged.  The  embalmers  therefore  conceal 
with  the  mummy  all  the  hair  they  have  been  forced  to 


the  Swathing  of  the  Mummy. 


cut  from  it,  this  being  the  surest  method  of  preserving 
it  from  the  malignant  uses  which  sorcerers  would  put 
it  to.  Over  this  first  garment  a  long  piece  of  linen  is 
wound,  upon  which  a  caligraphic  scribe  has  copied  a 
selection  of  the  text  or  the  vignettes  of  the  chapters 
contained  in  the  Book  for  Going  Out  during  the  Dag. 
If  Psarou  read  them  he  will  recover  his  senses,  he  can 
leave  his  tomb  or  return  to  it  as  he  will,  he  will  gain 
the  favour  of  the  gods  he  is  likely  to  meet  in  the  paths 


132 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH. 


of  the  other  life,  he  can  embark  upon  the  boat  of  the 
sun  or  rest  in  the  fields  of  the  blessed,  under  the 
paternal  sceptre  of  Osiris.  A  few  turns  with  the  ban¬ 
dages,  then  another  layer  of  stuff,  then  new  bandages, 
finally  a  last  shroud  of  coarse  canvas  nd  a  red  linen 
sheet  sewn  at  the  back  and  held  by  bands  arranged 
parallelly  from  the  head  to  the  feet  (Fig.  79).  As 
every  piece  is  placed  the  master  of  the  ceremonies  re- 


Fig.  80.— The  Mummy  finished. 


cites  a  prayer  defining  ifs  nature  and  efficacy  (Fig.  80); 
at  intervals  he  bends  over  the  corpse  and  murmurs 
mysterious  instructions  in  a  low  voice,  which  no  living 
person  may  hear  without  sin.  The  wrapping  ended, 
Psarou  knows  the  use  of  everything  that  has  been 
given  to  him,  and  the  advantages  which  he  will  derive 
from  it  in  the  other  world :  mummy  and  double,  he 
is  ready  for  the  tomb. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  TOMB. 

Tlie  cemetery  at  Thebes  —  Violations  of  the  sepulchres  —  Leaving  the 
mortuary  house — The  procession — The  mourners  and  their  songs 
— Crossing  the  Nile — The  arrival  at  the  tomb  —  The  offerings  and 
the  farewells  before  the  gates  —  The  tomb:  its  arrangement,  furni¬ 
ture,  revenue  —  The  ceremonies  of  the  opening  of  the  mouth  —  The 
funeral  meal,  the  dances,  the  harpist  and  his  song — The  future  of 
the  double  after  death— Its  travels — The  sycamore  of  Nut  —  The 
tribunal  of  Osiris. 

The  cemetery  of  Thebes  is  situated  upon  the  left  hank 
of  the  Nile,  in  a  detached  chain  of  the  Libyan  moun¬ 
tains,  which  ends  exactly  opposite  the  great  temple  of 
Amen.*  The  principal  height  is  hewn  perpendicularly, 
and  is  pierced  by  deep  valleys  in  every  direction  ;  it  is 
preceded  by  a  range  of  sandy  hills,  separated  from  each 
other  by  ravines.  When  Thebes  was  still  a  small  city 
the  inhabitants  buried  their  dead  in  the  small  mound 
nearest  to  the  stream.  As  it  became  more  populous 
the  necropolis  increased  in  size,  and,  growing  towards 
the  west,  tilled  the  valley  of  Davr-el-Bahari,  Since 
then  it  has  been  perpetually  enlarged  towards  the 
south-west,  and  every  height,  every  turn  of  the  land, 
has  been  gradually  invaded  by  the  hypogea.  Now  it 
is  really  a  city  of  the  dead,  that  extends  some  distance 
from  the  Nile,  as  a  pendant  to  that  of  the  living,  and 
that,  like  it,  has  its  rich  quarters,  its  districts  for  the 

*  Not  knowing  the  ancient  names  of  these  localities,  I  have  been 
forced  in  this  chapter  to  use  the  modern  Arab  names.  Dayr-el-Bahari, 
I'rah-abou’l-Neggah,  Gournah,  El  Assassif,  Medinet-Abou  are  all  ana¬ 
chronisms  that  I  have  been  unable  to  avoid. 


134 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  TOMB. 


poor,  its  palaces  and  chapels.  Some  fifteen  small 
pyramids  still  standing  upon  the  ridge  of  Drah-abou’l- 
Neggah  mark  the  spot  where  the  Pharaohs  of  the 
eleventh  and  twelfth  dynasties  repose,  surrounded  by 
the  highest  officials  of  their  court.  Amenophis  I.  and 
his  mother,  Nefertari,  are  placed  at  the  entrance  of 
El  Assassif,  and  there  receive  a  solemn  worship  which 
renders  them  the  protecting  divinities  of  the  canton. 
Thothmes  II.,  Thothmes  III.,  and  their  sister,  Hat- 
shepset,  sleep  beneath  the  terraces  of  Dayr-el-Baliari. 
The  less-known  Pharaohs,  princes  who  have  not  reigned, 
princesses  of  the  blood  royal,  the  great  officials  of  the 
crown,  statesmen,  generals,  and  administrators  of  the 
past  divide  the  interval,  almost  grouped  by  epochs. 
The  traveller,  carefully  visiting  the  whole  district,  sees 
the  history  of  Theban  Egypt  gradually  unrolled  before 
him,  illustrated  by  the  tombs  of  those  who  made  it. 

Groups  of  mud  huts,  scattered  in  the  hollows  of  the 
ravines,  shelter  the  police-soldiers,  the  watchmen  and 
their  families,  the  workmen  who  hew  out  the  funeral 
galleries  and  those  who  decorate  them,  the  lower  clergy 
attached  to  the  funeral  and  commemorative  services,  and 
the  sellers  of  offerings.  There  is  not  one  amongst  these 
poor  people  that  does  not  know  the  quantity  of  gold 
and  jewels  buried  daily  with  the  mummies,  and  these 
riches,  heaped  round  them  a  few  feet  below  the  earth, 
are  a  perpetual  temptation,  which  they  never  resist. 
Violations  of  the  sepulchres  are  common  occurrences 
with  them,  and  form  their  surest  method  of  enriching 
themselves.  The  timid  amongst  them  trust  no  one, 
and  work  alone,  touching  only  the  old  monuments  be¬ 
longing:  to  extinct  families,  and  therefore  seldom  entered. 
The  others  combine  together,  pay  a  high  price  for  the 
complicity  of  the  local  police,  and  boldly  spoil  the  recent 
sepulchres,  sometimes  even  the  royal  ones.  Not  con¬ 
tent  with  taking  the  furniture  placed  in  the  tombs, 
they  open  the  coffins,  unpack  or  break  the  bodies  to 
steal  the  jewels,  then  rearrange  the  fragments  and 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  TOMB. 


135 


fabricate  false  mummies,  so  skilfully  arranged  that 
they  cannot  outwardly  be  distinguished  from  the  true 
ones ;  the  first  bandages  must  be  removed  before  the 
fraud  can  be  discovered.  From  time  to  time  some  of 
the  criminals  are  captured  or  denounce  their  com¬ 
panions.  The  count-nomarch  and  the  chief  prophet  of 
Amen,  who  have  the  jurisdiction  over  this  portion  of 
the  nome,  order  an  inquiry.  A  commission  examines 
the  damage  that  has  been  done  and  seeks  for  the  guilty 
parties.  The  tribunal  condemns  half-a-dozen  to  be 
impaled,  and  twenty  to  be  beaten.  Two  months  later, 
the  impression  produced  by  this  severity  has  faded 
away,  and  the  depredations  recommence. 

Psarou  has  returned  to  his  dwelling  once  more.  He 
has  been  placed  upon  a  state  bed ;  four  large  alabaster 
vases,  the  Canoptic  jars  containing  the  viscera,  being 
placed  beneath  it.  Each  bears  a  cover  of  different  shape ; 
one  has  the  head  of  a  man,  another  that  of  a  jackal,  the 
third  of  a  hawk,  the  fourth  of  a  cynophelus.  They 
represent  the  gods  of  the  four  quarters  of  the  world, 
the  sons  of  Horus,  Hapi  and  Amset,  Tuamautef  and 
Kebhsenuf ;  they  watch  the  dead,  and  prevent  the  in¬ 
ternal  organs,  the  most  fragile  and  yet  the  most  neces¬ 
sary  to  life,  from  being  stolen  or  destroyed.  And  now 
his  tomb  is  waiting  for  him,  his  furniture  is  ready,  his 
parents  and  friends  have  been  summoned  to  escort  him, 
the  morning  has  risen  for  him  ‘  to  go  and  hide  his 
head  in  the  funeral  valley,’  and  to  ‘reunite  himself  to 
the  earth.’  At  this  supreme  moment  his  wife  and 
servants  make  a  last  effort  to  prevent  his  departure. 
They  cling  to  the  mummy  and  throw  themselves 
howling  upon  the  men  who  have  come  to  fetch  it ;  at 
last  they  yield,  and  Psarou  crosses  the  threshold  of  his 
home  for  ever. 

A  group  of  slaves  and  vassals  bearing  offerings 
lead  the  procession  (Fig.  80*).  The  first  six  carry 
cakes,  flowers,  jars  of  water,  bottles  of  liqueur,  and 
vials  of  perfume.  One  holds  before  him  three  large 


136 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  TOMB. 


birds  upon  a  light  saddle  ;  another  leads  the  calf  for 
sacrifice  ;  six  carry  painted  boxes,  destined  to  contain 
part  of  the  food  provided  and  part  of  the  funeral 
figurines  ;  lastly,  two  carry  between  them  a  low  table, 
upon  which  are  heaped  pots  full  of  fruit  and  branches 


Fig.  80*. — The  Funeral  Procession  :  Slaves  bearing  Offerings. 


of  palm.  This  is  the  provision  of  food.  The  following 
group  is  entrusted  with  the  usual  furniture — chests  of 
linen,  folding  stools,  armchairs,  a  state  bed ;  two 
grooms  bend  beneath  the  weight  of  a  chariot,  with 
its  yoke  and  quiver  ;  an  equerry  leads  another  chariot, 
drawn  by  a  pair  of  horses  (Fig.  81).  The  furniture 


Fig.  81. — The  Funeral  Procession  :  Carriage  and  passage 
of  the  Chaiiots. 


for  the  funeral  chambers  is  in  the  hands  of  a  third  de¬ 
tachment,  more  numerous  than  the  two  others  put 
together.  First,  the  flagons  for  the  libations;  then  a 
case,  painted  in  red  and  white  squares,  intended  to 
hold  the  Canoptic  jars;  then  the  jars  themselves;  then, 
upon  square  trays,  a  mask  in  gilded  cardboard  relieved 
with  blue  (Fig.  82),  weapons,  sceptres,  batons  of  com- 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  TOMB. 


137 


mand,  collars,  scarabaei,  hawks  standing  with  their 
wings  extended  in  a  circle,  to  he  worn  on  the  breast 
upon  festival  days,  chains,  figurines,  a  lmman-headed 
hawk,  the  image  of  the  soul  (Fig.  83).  Many  of  these 
objects  are  of  massive  gold,  others  are  only  gilded, 
some  are  of  wood  covered  with  gold.  On  all  sides  the 


Fig.  82. — The  Funeral  Procession  :  the  Furniture. 


precious  metal  shines  with  a  profusion  which  excites 
the  admiration  and  envy  of  the  crowd  assembled  to 
watch  the  procession.  It  is  surely  too  great  a  defiance 
of  human  cupidity  to  openly  display  all  this  wealth, 


Fig  83. — The  Funeral  Procession  :  the  Weapons  and 
Jewels. 

and  the  watchmen  attached  to  Psarou’s  hypogeum  will 
have  much  to  do  if  they  wish  to  preserve  it  from  thieves. 

More  offerings,  then  a  noisy  group  of  mourners,  a 
slave,  who  from  time  to  time  throws  a  few  drops  of 
milk  upon  the  ground  as  though  to  allay  the  dust ;  a 
master  of  the  ceremonies,  who,  with  a  panther’s  skin 
over  one  shoulder,  sprinkles  the  crowd  with  scented 
water  with  a  large  golden  spoon  (Fig.  84)  ;  behind  him. 


138 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  TOMB. 


the  catafalque  at  last  appears  (Fig.  85).  It  is,  as  usual, 
shaped  like  a  boat  mounted  upon  a  sledge,  drawn  by  a 
double  team  of  oxen  and  fellahs  ;  the  bark  of  Osiris, 
with  its  two  mourners,  Isis  and  Neplithys,  and  its 
closed  cabin,  which  conceals  the  mummy  from  the 


Fig  81. — The  Funeral  Prooeseion  :  the  Mourners  and 
the  Priests. 

crowd.  Khait  and  her  children  walk  anywhere,  in 
front,  behind,  or  at  the  sides  of  the  coffin  ;  then  follow 
the  friends  of  the  family,  cane  in  hand,  wrapped  in 
their  long  festival  cloaks,  and  lastly,  the  crowd  of 


Fig.  85. — The  Funeral  Procession  :  the  Catafalque  followed 
by  the  Friends. 


sightseers.  The  procession  passes  through  the  winding 
streets  at  the  slow  pace  of  the  oxen,  stopping  all  traffic 
and  circulation,  stopping  itself  upon  the  smallest  pre¬ 
text  :  one  might  say  that  Psarou,  regretting  his  de¬ 
parture  from  the  world,  endeavours  to  prolong  his 
sojourn  here,  if  but  for  a  few  hours.  Funerals  at 
Thebes  are  not  silent  processions,  in  which  grief  is 
scarcely  betrayed,  save  by  a  few  furtive  tears.  The 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  TEIE  TOMB. 


139 


dead  require  a  noise,  sobs,  and  extravagant  gestures. 
The  family  not  only  hire  mourners,  whose  trade  is  to 
cry  aloud,  to  tear  their  hair,  to  sing  their  lamentations, 
and  conscientiously  to  portray  the  utmost  despair,  but 
the  relations  and  friends  of  the  deceased  do  not  hesitate 
to  make  a  spectacle  of  themselves,  and  to  disturb,  by 
their  sorrow,  the  indifference  of  passers-by.  Sometimes 
one  of  the  groups,  sometimes  the  other,  utters  some  brief 
sentence  suitable  to  the  occasion.  ‘  To  the  West,  the 
dwelling  of  Osiris  ;  to  the  West,  thou  who  wert  the  best 
of  men,  who  always  detested  duplicity.’  And  the  hired 
mourners  reply  in  chorus  :  ‘  Oh,  chief,  as  thou  goest  to 
the  West,  the  gods  themselves  lament,  as  thou  goest  to 
the  West!’  The  ox-driver,  goading  on  his  oxen,  says, 
to  encourage  them,  ‘  To  the  West,  oh,  bulls  that  draw 
the  catafalque,  to  the  West!  Your  master  is  behind 
you.’  ‘To  the  West!’  repeat  the  friends;  ‘the  excellent 
man  who  loved  truth  and  hated  falsehood  lives  no 
more.’  The  lamentations  die  away  at  intervals,  and 
for  a  few  minutes  the  procession  wends  its  way  in 
silence.  But  soon  one  of  the  hired  mourners  recom¬ 
mences,  the  others  join  her,  and  the  tumult  begins 
again,  louder  and  more  lugubrious  than  ever.  The 
lament  is  not  remarkable  for  either  originality  of 
thought  or  deep  feeling.  Grief  is  expressed  by 
regular  forms  which  never  vary;  the  habit  of  attending 
funerals,  and  of  joining  in  these  manifestations,  soon 
leads  each  person  to  compose  a  rather  monotonous 
repertory  of  exclamations  and  condolences.  The  wish 
‘To  the  West’  is  the  foundation  of  them  all;  a  few 
commonplace  epithets  are  added  to  it,  and  all  is  said. 
The  near  relations  only  sometimes  find  sincere  accents 
and  touching  images  to  express  their  sorrow.  With 
inarticulate  cries,  appeals,  and  formulas,  they  mingle 
praise  of  their  dead  with  eulogies  of  his  virtues,  allu¬ 
sions  to  his  tastes  and  actions,  to  the  position  he  has 
filled,  the  honours  he  has  obtained,  reflections  upon  the 
uncertainty  of  human  life,  and  counsels  against  the 


140 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  TOMB. 


dangers  of  the  life  beyond  the  tomb  :  a  melancholy 
refrain  which  each  generation  repeats  over  the  preceding 
one,  until,  in  their  turn,  the  following  generation 
chants  it  over  them. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Nile  the  procession  embarks. 
The  bearers  of  offerings,  friends  and  slaves  crowd  into 
three  hired  barges.  The  professional  mourners  and 
the  members  of  the  family  enter  two  of  Psarou’s  boats, 
which  have  been  dismasted  ;  the  outside  of  the  cabin 
has  been  covered  with  striped  drapery,  in  embroidered 
stuff  or  cut  leather,  to  represent  a  monumental  socle, 


Fig.  86. — The  Funeral  Procession  :  the  Mourners’  Bark. 


in  which  the  passengers  stand,  their  faces  turned 
towards  the  funeral  bark  (Fig.  86).  The  latter  is  built 
in  exact  imitation  of  the  mysterious  skiff  used  for  the 
obsequies  of  Osiris,  and  now  adored  in  the  small  city  of 
Abydos,  under  the  name  of  Noshemit  (Fig.  87).  It  is 
swift,  light  and  long,  decorated  at  each  end  by  a  lotus 
flower  in  metal,  -which  bends  gracefully  as  though 
drooping  by  its  own  weight.  A  chapel  stands  in  the 
centre,  adorned  with  flowers  and  green  palms.  Ivhait 
and  her  daughters  crouch  lamenting  at  the  sides ; 
two  priestesses,  dressed  like  the  goddesses  Isis  and 
Nephthvs,  stand  behind  so  as  to  protect  the  body ;  the 


THE  FUN E UAL  AND  THE  TOMB. 


141 


master  of  the  ceremonies  places  himself  in  the  front 
and  burns  some  grains  of  incense.  The  mourners’  boat 
takes  this  funeral  bark  in  tow,  and  the  whole  flotilla 
starts  under  the  efforts  of  some  fifty  rowers. 

This  is  the  solemn  moment,  when  Psarou,  leaving 
the  city  where  he  has  lived,  commences  his  journey 
beyond  the  tomb.  The  crowd  assembled  on  the  banks 
salute  him  with  their  good  wishes :  ‘Mayest  thou  land  in 
peace  to  the  west  of  Thebes !  In  peace,  in  peace  to- 


Fig.  87.  —  The  Funeral  Procession  :  the  Bark  of  the  Dead. 


wards  Abydos !  Descend  in  peace  towards  Abydos, 
towards  the  western  sea!’  In  fact,  this  passage  across 
the  Nile  is  of  great  importance  to  the  future  of  the  dead. 
The  voyage  from  this  earth  to  the  ‘  other  land  ’  is  not 
accomplished  with  equal  facility  at  every  place :  like 
most  nations,  the  Egyptians  know  the  exact  spot  from 
whence  the  souls  depart  for  their  entrance  to  the  new 
world.  It  is  a  cleft  in  the  mountain  to  the  west  of 
Abydos  ;  no  one  can  enter  it  without  the  aid  of  Osiris 
on  his  bark,  and  the  transport  of  the  mummy  beyond 
the  Nile  is  the  emblem  of  the  supernatural  journey 
which  the  soul  undertakes  in  order  to  reach  the  mouth 


142 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  TOMB. 


of  the  cleft.  The  departure  for  the  Thebes  of  the  dead 
is,  in  fact,  a  departure  for  Abydos,  and  this  is  why  the 
name  of  Abydos  is  mingled  with  that  of  Thebes  in  the 
shouts  of  the  crowd.  The  voices  of  the  dead  man’s 
friends  are  the  most  frequently  heard  and  they  are  the 
most  sorrowful :  ‘  To  the  West,  to  the  West — the  land  of 
the  righteous  !  The  place  which  thou  lovedst  mourns 
and  laments!’  And  the  hired  mourners:  ‘In  peace,  in 
peace,  to  the  West;  oh,  praiseworthy  prince,  go  in  peace! 
If  it  please  god.  when  the  eternal  day  cometh,  we  shall 
see  thee  again,  for  thou  goest  to  the  land  where  all  men 
are  equal  !  ’  Khait,  carried  away  by  her  grief,  forgets 
the  conventional  formulas  :  ‘  Oh,  my  husband  !  oh,  my 
brother !  oh,  ray  beloved !  stay,  live  in  thy  place ;  do 
not  leave  this  terrestrial  spot  where  thou  art !  Alas  ! 
thou  goest  towards  the  ferry-boat  to  cross  the  river  ! 
Oh  !  sailors,  do  not  hurry,  leave  him  ;  you  will  return  to 
your  homes,  but  he  is  going  to  the  eternal  land  !  Oh  ! 
bark  of  Osiris,  why  art  thou  come  to  take  him  from 
me,  that  he  should  now  abandon  me  !  ’ 

The  sailors  remain  deaf  to  this  appeal,  and  the 
pilot  interrupts  the  dirges  of  the  hired  mourners : 
‘  Steady,  up  there  on  the  platform,  for  we  are  close  to 
land.’  The  rebound  of  the  shock  which  the  boat  re¬ 
ceives  in  touching  would  make  them  lose  their  balance 
and  throw  them  into  the  water,  if  no  one  warned  them. 
Whilst  the  boat  containing  the  friends  manoeuvres  in 
order  to  draw  up  to  the  banks,  its  rudder  strikes  the 
side  of  a  small  sloop  behind,  and  upsets  some  of  the 
offerings  which  it  contains  (Fig.  88),  but  no  one  pays 
any  attention  to  this  accident,  and  the  friends  continue 
their  dirge  without  disturbing  themselves.  ‘  He  is 
happy,  the  great  one,  for  destiny  allows  him  to  go  and 
rest  in  the  tomb  that  he  has  prepared  for  himself ;  he 
obtains  the  good-will  of  the  Theban  Clionsu  and  the 
god  has  granted  that  he  shall  depart  for  the  AVest 
escorted  by  generations  of  his  servants,  all  in  tears.’ 
The  mummy  is  replaced  upon  the  sledge,  the  groups 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  TOMB. 


143 


rearrange  themselves  in  their  former  order,  and  the 
procession  goes  towards  the  hill  of  Sheikh  Abd-el- 
Gournah.  It  is  here,  upon  the  Forehead  of  Thebes  * 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  cave  where  the  serpent 
goddess  Miritskro  utters  her  oracles  and  accomplishes 
her  miraculous  cures,  that  Psarou  has  built  his  ‘  eternal 
house,’  between  the  hvpogea  of  Rekhmiri,  of  Mankhop- 
irrisonbou,  of  Pahsoukhirou,  and  of  the  great  statesmen 
who  distinguished  the  reign  of  Thothmes  III.  or  of 
his  sons.  The  path  which  leads  to  it  is  too  steep  for 
the  oxen  to  climb  with  the  enormous  weight  which  is 
dragging  behind  them.  The  friends  take  the  catafalque 
upon  their  shoulders,  and  ascend,  staggering  beneath 


Fig.  88. — The  Funeral  Procession  :  the  Friends’  Boat  striking 
the  Sloop. 

the  load,  by  the  uncertain  paths  which  wind  amongst 
the  tombs. 

At  last  they  pause,  quite  out  of  breath,  nearly  half¬ 
way  up  the  ascent,  upon  a  small  platform  cut  in  the 
hank  of  the  hill ;  here  is  a  piece  of  rock  hewn  straight 
down  like  a  facade,  with  a  low,  narrow  door  opening  in 
the  centre.  Having  reached  the  end  of  its  journey, 
the  mummy  is  placed  standing  upon  a  heap  of  sand,  its 
back  to  the  wall,  its  face  turned  to  the  assembled 

*  The  Forehead  of  Thebes  (ta  tohnit)  appears  to  have  been  the 
name  of  the  highest  of  the  hills  of  Sheikh  Abd-el-Gournah.  The 
cave,  which  is  well  known  to  the  fellahs,  who  avoid  showing  it  to 
Europeans,  is  now  consecrated  to  the  Mussulman  sheikh,  who  cured 
cases  of  rheumatism  chiefly,  like  the  goddess  Miritskro  had  formerly 
done. 


144 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  TOMB. 


party,  like  tire  master  of  a  new  house,  whose  friends 
have  accompanied  him  to  the  door,  and  who  turns  back 
for  a  moment  upon  the  threshold  to  hid  them  farewell 
before  entering.  A  sacrifice,  an  offering,  a  prayer,  a 
fresh  outburst  of  sorrow ;  the  mourners  redouble  their 
lamentations,  and  roll  upon  the  ground ;  the  women  of 
the  family  adorn  the  mummy  with  flowers,  press  it  to 
their  nude  bosoms,  and  embrace  its  breast  and  knees. 

‘I  am  thy  sister,  thy  wife  Khait!  Oh,  great  one,  do 
not  leave  me  !  Is  it  truly  thy  wish,  my  good  father, 
that  I  should  go  from  thee  ?  If  I  leave  thee,  thou 
wilt  be  alone,  and  will  any  one  be  with  thee  to  follow 
thee?  Oh,  thou  who  delightedst  to  jest  with  me,  thou 
art  silent,  thou  dost  not  speak !  ’  An  old  servant, 
crouching  behind  her  mistress,  exclaims,  ‘Our  guardian 
is  then  torn  from  us,  and  he  leaves  his  slaves  !  ’  Then 
the  mourners  recommence  their,  chorus.  ‘  Cry  aloud  ! 
cry  aloud !  Make  your  lamentations.  Lament  and 
cease  not,  cry  as  loudly  as  you  can !  Oh,  excellent 
traveller,  who  art  going  to  the  land  of  eternity,  thou 
hast  been  torn  from  us  !  Oh,  thou  who  hadst  so  many 
around  thee,  thou  art  now  in  the  land  which  imposes 
isolation.  Thou,  who  lovedst  to  open  thy  legs  and  walk, 
art  now  chained,  bound,  swathed!  Thou  who  hadst  much 
fine  stuff  and  who  lovedst  white  linen,  art  now  clothed 
in  the  garments  of  yesterday  !  She  who  weeps  for  thee 
is  become  like  one  bereaved  of  her  mother  ;  her  bosom 
veiled,  she  laments  and  mourns,  she  rolls  round  thy 
funeral  couch.’  Indifferent,  in  the  midst  of  this 
clamour,  the  priest  offers  the  usual  incense  and  liba¬ 
tions,  with  the  consecrated  phrase :  ‘  To  thy  double, 
Osiris,  count-nomarch  of  Thebes,  Psarou,  wdiose  voice 
is  righteous  before  the  great  god’  (Fig.  89).  The 
mummy  disappears  in  the  tomb,  borne  in  the  arms  of 
twTo  men ;  the  night  of  the  other  world  has  seized  it, 
and  will  never  release  it. 

Like  all  well-arranged  dwellings,  the  tomb  includes 
state  apartments,  a  chapel — where  the  double  receives 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  TOMB. 


145 


the  liomage  and  presents  of  liis  relations  upon  festival 
days — and  private  apartments,  which  no  one  may  enter 
but  himself.  Psarou’s  chapel  is  composed  of  two  rooms: 
one,  wider  than  it  is  long,  runs  parallel  to  the  facade ; 
the  other,  longer  than  it  is  wide,  opens  perpendicularly 
to  the  former,  opposite  the  entrance  door.  Its  Avails 
are  covered  Avith  paintings  executed  in  fresco  upon  a 
coating  of  beaten,  polished  earth,  Avhich  represent 
every  imaginable  scene  of  life.  We  there  see  depicted, 
one  above  the  other  from  the  floor  to  the  ceiling, 
ploughing,  soAving,  reaping,  harvesting  the  wheat, 


Fig.  89. — The  Funeral :  the  Farewells  before  the  Door  of  the  Hypogeum. 


raising  the  cattle,  fishing,  hunting  in  the  desert ;  the 
workshops  of  the  carpenter,  wheelwright,  sculptor, 
goldsmith,  glassAvorker,  baker  ;  the  preparation  of  food, 
then  a  great  dinner,  with  music  and  dances  by  the 
almahs.  These  form  so  many  talismans,  Avhich  have 
the  virtue  of  securing  the  effective  enjoyment  of  these 
objects.  If  the  double  be  hungry  it  chooses  one  of  the 
painted  oxen,  follows  it  through  the  series  of  pictures 
from  the  pasture  to  the  butcher,  the  kitchen,  and  the 
banquet.  Whilst  it  looks  at  them  the  actions  repre¬ 
sented  become  real ;  Avhen  it  sees  its  portrait  upon  the 
Avail  take  a  roast  joint  from  the  hands  of  the  servant, 
the  joint  is  before  it,  gratifying  its  eyes  and  satisfying 
its  appetite.  Rich  doubles  of  high  rank  are  seldom 
11 


146 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  TOMB. 


obliged  to  resort  to  this  arrangement  during  tbe  early 
period  of  their  subterranean  existence.  Tbe  widow, 
children,  or  parents  frequently  bring  or  send  them 
offerings  through  their  sacrifices.  They  offer  a  bull, 
geese,  wine,  and  cakes  to  their  favourite  god,  Amen  or 
Osiris,  Ptah  or  Chonsu  ;  the  god  retains  a  portion  of 
the  nood  things  for  himself  and  transmits  the  re- 
mainder  to  the  souls  commended  to  him.  There  are 
also  contracts  made  with  the  priests  of  a  temple,  who, 
in  exchange  for  an  annual  payment  or  a  donation, 
undertake  to  celebrate  commemorative  services,  to  re¬ 
provision  the  tomb  a  certain  number  of  times  every 
year  at  fixed  dates. 

Yet,  in  spite  of  all  the  care  taken  to  provide  for 
the  future,  the  day  arrives  when  the  offerings  finally 
cease.  The  family  becomes  extinct,  changes  its  home, 
forgets  its  old  dead ;  the  priests,  no  longer  watched, 
neglect  the  terms  of  the  contract ;  tbe  double,  deprived 
of  everything,  would  die  of  hunger  if  it  had  not  the 
means  upon  its  Avails  of  eternally  satisfying  its  appetite. 
One  last  ceremony  in\Tests  it  with  a  new  faculty  which 
differs  from  any  that  it  has  hitherto  possessed.  The 
process  of  embalmment  has  transformed  the  man’s  body 
into  an  inert,  powerless  form,  incapable  of  walking, 
eating,  speaking,  seeing,  or  accomplishing  any  of  the 
functions  of  existence  ;  these  effects  must  be  cancelled 
if  he  is  to  live  again,  and  this  end  is  attained  by  the 
opening  of  the  mouth  and  its  complicated  rites.  The 
master  of  the  ceremonies  and  his  assistants,  the  children 
of  Horus,  once  more  stand  Psarou  upright  upon  a  heap 
of  sand  at  the  end  of  the  chapel,  and  accomplish  round 
him  the  same  divine  mysteries  which  Horus  had  cele¬ 
brated  round  the  mummy  of  Osiris.  They  purify  him 
by  common  Avater  and  by  red  Avater,  by  incense  from 
the  south  and  by  alum  from  the  north,  in  the  same 
way  as  the  statues  of  the  gods  are  purified  at  the  com¬ 
mencement  of  a  sacrifice  ;  then  they  execute  Ararious 
rites  Avhicli  awaken  the  double  from  the  sleep  in  Avhich 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  TOMB. 


147 


it  is  plunged,  free  it  from  its  shroud,  bring  back  the 
shadow  which  it  lost  at  the  time  of  death,  and 
restore  the  power  of  movement.  Then  the  sacred 
butchers  kill  the  bull  of  the  south  and  cut  it  up,  the 
priest  seizes  the  bloody  leg  and  raises  it  towards  the 
lips  of  the  gilded  mask,  as  though  inviting  it  to  eat, 
but  the  lips  remain  closed  and  refuse  to  perform  their 
office ;  he  then  touches  them  with  several  instruments, 
with  wooden  hands  and  iron  blades,  which  are  sup¬ 
posed  to  open  them.  The  double  is  henceforth  free ; 
it  comes  and  goes  at  will,  sees,  hears,  speaks,  takes  its 
share  of  the  offerings,  and  at  once  uses  its  new  power 
to  invite  all  who  accompany  it  to  a  banquet,  the  first 
given  in  Psarou’s  eternal  home. 

A  passage,  cut  at  the  most  distant  corner  of  the 
second  hall,  leads  to  a  kind  of  cell,  naked,  low,  without 
paintings  or  ornaments  of  any  kind :  this  is  Psarou’s 
room,  the  spot  where  his  mummy  will  repose  until  the 
end  of  the  centuries,  if  it  please  the  gods  to  preserve  it 
from  thieves.  The  workmen  of  the  necropolis  lay  the 
double  coffin,  with  its  wreaths,  close  to  the  west  wall ; 
the  slaves  bring  in  the  Canoptic  jars,  the  caskets,  furni¬ 
ture,  and  provisions  which  have  accompanied  the  proces¬ 
sion  during  the  day,  and  place  them  on  the  ground ; 
the  priest  recites  a  last  prayer  and  retires  ;  the  masons 
rapidly  build  a  brick  wall  befoi’e  the  door.  The  sound 
of  their  trowels  ceases  at  last,  the  noise  of  their  steps 
dies  away  and  is  lost,  the  end  of  a  torch  they  had  left 
in  the  room  burns  itself  out.  However,  in  the  upper 
room,  upon  the  platform,  and  in  the  chapel  the  slaves 
have  commenced  to  serve  the  banquet.  The  statue  of 
the  dead,  sculptured  in  relief  at  the  back  of  the  second 
hall,  presides  over  the  festival,  and  receives  the  first 
portion  of  each  dish.  The  objects  have  a  soul,  a  double, 
like  men  or  animals,  and  this  double,  once  passed  into 
the  other  world,  enjoys  the  same  properties  which  its 
body  possessed  in  this  one.  The  double  of  a  chair  or 
bed  is  really  a  chair  or  a  bed  for  the  double  of  a  man. 
The  double  of  Eharou,  present  at  the  festival,  enjoys 


148 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  TOMB. 


the  double  of  tbe  liqueurs  and  of  the  viands  quite  as 
fully  as  its  still  living  guests  can  do  the  real  liquids  and 
the  food.  Whilst  all  present,  visible  or  invisible,  are 
eating,  the  almahs  sing  and  execute  their  dances 
(Fig.  90).  Sometimes  they  address  themselves  directly 
to  the  dead,  sometimes  to  the  living,  hut  the  same 
refrain  is  always  heard  in  their  songs  :  ‘  Make  a  good 
day  ;  life  only  lasts  for  a  moment.  Make  a  good  day  ; 
when  you  have  entered  your  tombs  you  will  rest  there 


Fig.  90. —  The  Dance  of  the  Almahs. 


for  ever,  all  the  hours  of  each  day.’  The  repast  is 
finished  at  last,  all  must  now  leave  and  break  the  last 
link  which  still  holds  the  dead  to  his  family.  The 
sacred  harpist  plays  a  prelude,  then  standing  before 
the  statue,  he  chants  the  dirge  first  sung  long  ago  at 
the  funeral  of  the  Pharaoh  Antouf.  ‘  The  world,’  he 
says,  ‘  is  but  perpetual  movement  and  change.  It  is 
an  admirable  decision  of  the  great  Osiris,  a  beautiful 
arrangement  of  destiny,  that  as  one  body  is  destroyed 
and  disappears,  others  come  after  him  ever  since  the 
most  ancient  times.  The  Pharaohs,  those  gods  who 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  TOMB. 


149 


have  lived  before  us  and  who  repose  in  their  pyramids, 
their  mummies  and  their  doubles 
are  also  buried  in  their  pyramids, 
but  the  castles  that  they  have 
built  they  have  no  place  therein 

— all  is  over  for  them . Do 

not,  therefore,  despair,  but  follow 
thy  desire  and  thine  happiness  so 
long  as  thou  art  upon  the  earth, 
and  do  not  wear  out  thine  heart 
until  the  day  comes  for  thee  in 
which  man  prays,  without  Osiris, 
the  god  whose  heart  has  ceased  Fig.  91.— The  Harpist, 
to  beat,  listening  to  the  prayer. 

Not  all  the  lamentations  in  the  world  will  restore  hap¬ 
piness  to  the  man  who  is  in  the  sepulchre ;  make,  then, 
a  good  day,  and  do  not  be  idle  in  enjoying  thyself. 
Certainly  no  man  can  carry  his  wealth  to  the  other 
world  with  him  ;  certainly  no  man  ever  went  there  and 
came  back  again  !  ’ 

What  becomes  of  the  double  after  the  funeral  ? 
The  bulk  of  the  population  have  very  vague  ideas  upon 
this  point.  They  are  content  to  think  that  it  inhabits 
the  tomb,  and  there  leads  an  uncertain  existence, 
scarcely  conscious  of  itself.  It  never  comes  out  unless 
it  has  no  food  and  is  driven  by  hunger  :  it  is  then  seen 
wandering  in  the  villages  at  night,  and  eagerly 
throwing  itself  upon  the  remnants  of  food  thrown  into 
the  streets.  Misery  then  produces  a  feeling  of  hatred 
and  vengeance  against  the  living  who  have  forsaken  it ; 
it  attacks  them,  tortures  them,  and  afflicts  them  with 
illness.  Certain  doubles  do  not  wait  for  the  moment 
when  they  are  forgotten  before  they  injure  the  living; 
they  are  instinctively  bad,  and  take  a  certain  pleasure 
in  persecuting  their  nearest  relations.  The  scribe  Qeni 
was  haunted  for  months  by  the  spirit  of  his  wife  Onk- 
hari.  He  had  always  treated  her  well  while  she  was  in 
the  world,  had  given  her  an  expensive  funeral,  and  left 
her  a  considerable  income ;  yet  she  was  angry  with  him, 


150 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  TOMB. 


and  continually  returned  to  disturb  him.  lie  could 
only  free  himself  from  the  annoyance  by  threatening 
her  with  a  legal  action.  lie  wrote  to  her  asking  the 
reason  of  her  posthumous  rage,  and  reminding  her  of 
all  the  affection  that  he  had  shown  her.  ‘Since  I 
became  thy  husband  until  this  day  what  have  I  done 
against  thee  that  I  should  hide  ?  What  wilt  thou  do 
when  I  am  obliged  to  bear  witness  as  to  my  treatment 
of  thee  when  I  appear  v  ith  thee  before  the  tribunal  of 
Osiris  to  plead  my  own  cause  before  the  gods  of  the 
West,  and  thou  wilt  be  judged  according  to  this  writing, 
which  will  contain  my  complaints  against  thee — what 
wilt  thou  do  ?  ’  The  roll  of  papyrus,  attached  to  a 
wooden  statuette  of  the  woman  and  placed  in  the  tomb, 
reached  its  address :  Onkhari,  fearing  to  be  called  in 
judgment  before  Osiris,  ceased  to  torment  the  poor  man. 

Many  of  the  faithful,  to  whom  the  prospect  of  such 
a  gloomy  seclusion  is  extremely  repugnant,  suppose 
that  the  soul  leaves  the  funeral  chamber  after  a  longer 
or  shorter  sojourn  there,  and  emigrates  to  ‘another 
land.’  In  the  regions  to  which  the  mouth  of  the  cleft 
gives  access  there  are  kingdoms  of  the  dead  which  are 
each  placed  under  the  sovereignty  of  a  different  god 
— Khontament.it,  Phtah-Socharis,  and  Osiris.  Here 
they  welcome  the  souls  of  the  Egyptians  who  have 
had  a  special  devotion  for  the  sovereign  divinity  and 
have  declared  themselves  his  vassals — amakhou.  The 
kingdom  of  Osiris  is  the  most  populated  amongst 
them.  It  is  formed  of  several  islands,  of  which  the 
outlines  are  visible  from  our  earth,  in  the  north-east 
of  heaven  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  Milky 
Way.  It  cannot  be  reached  without  a  long  and 
dangerous  voyage.  The  soul,  upon  leaving  its  tomb, 
must  turn  its  back  to  the  valley  and  boldly  enter  the 
desert.  It  will  soon  encounter  one  of  those  sycamores 
which  grow  far  from  the  Nile,  and  which  the  fellahs 
consider  fairy  trees.  A  goddess  —  Nut,  Hathor,  or 
Neith  —  will  show  herself  partially  through  the 
foliage,  and  will  hold  out  a  dish  covered  with  loaves 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  TOMB. 


151 


and  a  vase  full  of  water  (Fig.  92).  Whoever  accepts 
these  gifts  becomes  through  them  a  guest  of  the 
goddess,  and  henceforth  he  cannot  retrace  his  steps 
without  special  permission. 

A  frightful  country  ex¬ 
tends  beyond  the  sycamore, 
infested  by  serpents  and 
savage  animals,  divided  by 
torrents  of  boiling  water, 
interspersed  with  marshes 
in  which  gigantic  monkeys 
catch  the  doubles  in  a  net. 

Many  souls  succumb  to  the 
dangers  of  the  road  and 
die ;  those  only  who  are 
provided  with  amulets  and 
powerful  incantations  at 
last  reach  the  shores  of  an 
immense  lake,  the  lake  of 
Kha,  from  whence  they  can 
discern  the  happy  islands 
afar  off.  Thoth,  the  ibis, 
lifts  them  upon  his  wings, 
or  the  divine  ferryman 
takes  them  into  his  boat  and  conducts  them  to  Osiris. 
The  god  questions  them  before  his  forty-two  assessors. 
Thoth  weighs  their  heart  in  his  scales.  Maat,  the 
goddess  of  Truth,  whispers  to  them  the  negative  con¬ 
fession,  which  in  each  article  declares  them  to  be 
innocent  of  a  sin  (Fig.  93);  they  are  at  last  acknow¬ 
ledged  to  be  worthy  of  entering  the  Fields  of  Beans  with 
the  blessed.  The  Fields  of  Beans  (Sokhit-Ialou)  are 
of  inexhaustible  fertility ;  the  wheat  is  seven  cubits 
high,  two  of  the  cubits  being  ear.  The  dead  cultivate 
and  harvest  it.  carrying  in  the  grain  by  turns.  They 
may  be  replaced  if  they  like  by  small  enamelled  statues, 
which  are  placed  in  the  tomb  with  them,  and  which 
are  called  the  Bshabti  or  Answerers,  because  they 


Nut. 


152 


THE  FUNERAL  AND  THE  T0M15. 


60 

s 


answer  for  their 
master  each  time 
that  he  is  called 
for  the  work. 
The  remainder  of 
the  time  is  spent 
in  perpetual 
feasting,  singing, 
long  conversa¬ 
tions,  and  games 
of  every  kind. 
Many  people  con¬ 
sider  that  this 
conception  of  the 
other  world  is  too 
material  to  be 
true,  and  they 
try  to  imagine  a 
higher  destiny 
for  the  soul ;  the 
priests  of  Amen- 
ra  hold  secret 
doctrines  upon 
this  subject, 
which  they  do 
not  like  to  reveal. 
These  are  specu¬ 
lations  of  the 
theologians  in 
which  the  people 
do  not  meddle. 
Men  can  survive 
death,  that  is  a 
fact ;  how  they 
do  so,  only  the 
gods  can  know 
with  any  cer¬ 
tainty. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


THE  JOURNEY. 

Eameses  II.  in  Syria — Council  of  war — Baoukou  sent  to  reconnoitre 
—  From  Gaza  to  Joppa:  the  Syrian  fortresses— From  Joppa  to 
Megiddo :  the  forest  —  Megiddo :  condition  of  the  Syiian  cities 
under  the  rule  of  Egypt  —  The  sea:  the  navy  and  the  maritime 
commerce  of  the  Egyptians — Tyre:  its  position,  its  population  — 
Egyptian  and  Phoenician  vessels — Commerce  between  the  Tyrians 
and  the  barbarians — Crossing  Mount  Lebanon  —  The  Hittite 
army  advances  to  attack  Eameses 

Pharaoh  had  quitted  his  Theban  palace  long  before 
the  funeral  of  Psarou.  He  had  reviewed  the  troops 
collected  at  Zalu,  and  had  sent  them  slowly  on 
towards  Syria,  through  the  desert  and  by  the  coasts 
of  the  Mediterranean,  from  Zalu  to  Magdilu,  from 
Magdilu  to  Raphia  and  Gaza.  Since  Thothmes  I. 
Gaza  has  become  an  Egyptian  city.  Rameses  spends 
several  days  there,  waiting  for  the  rest  of  his  army, 
receiving  the  reports  of  his  officers  and  governors, 
consulting  with  his  generals.  All  the  southern  part 
of  the  country  is  quiet  to  beyond  Megiddo ;  the 
Sidonian  Phoenicia  has  not  stirred,  and  no  movement 
has  been  reported  from  the  side  of  the  Orontes.  It 
might  he  supposed  that  the  peace  was  universal,  and 
that  the  forces  of  the  Kbit  a  have  vanished  without 
leaving  any  trace  of  their  presence.  The  king  is 
puzzled  to  know  what  this  apparent  inertia  can  mean. 
Ilis  eldest  son,  Amenhikhopshouf,  states  his  opinion 
that  the  vile  chief  of  the  Khita,  despairing  of  a 
successful  struggle  in  the  open  country  against  the 


154 


THE  JOURNEY. 


Egyptian  veterans,  had  scattered  his  soldiers  amongst 
the  fortresses,  and  was  preparing  for  a  defensive  war. 
It  would  be  necessary  to  take  all  the  citadels  of 
southern  Syria  one  after  the  other  (Fig.  94)  :  Ivadesh, 
Hamath,  Khilibu,  Nii,  and  Karchemish.  The  strongest 
armies  become  worn  out  in  these  thankless  duties,  and 
years  pass  by  before  the  enemy  is  beaten.  Pameses 


rejects  the  conjectures  of  his  son  upon  the  ground 
that  they  are  not  based  upon  events  that  have  occurred 
up  to  the  present  time. 

In  fact,  Kliitasir  has  called  out  all  the  allies  that 
he  has  secured  in  Asia  Minor :  not  only  the  Lycians, 
but  the  Mysians,  the  Dardanians,  the  peoples  of  Ilion 
and  Pedasos  who  dwell  upon  the  shores  of  the  distant 
sea,  have  answered  his  appeal,  and  their  contingents 
have  been  with  him  for  several  weeks  already.  They 
are  warlike  barbarians,  greedy  of  gain,  formidable  in 


THE  JOURNEY. 


155 


battle,  but  tliey  would  never  consent  to  be  long  away 
from  their  own  land.  Khitasir  knows  their  tempera¬ 
ment,  and  would  not  have  summoned  them  unless  he 
contemplated  some  rapid  movement.  A  battle  must 
therefore  be  expected  before  long,  and  if  the  enemy 
do  not  appear,  it  is  because  their  generals  have  con¬ 
cealed  them  in  some  corner  of  Lebanon,  whence  they 
will  suddenly  appear  as  soon  as  they  see  a  favourable 
opportunity  of  surprising  the  Egyptians.  Eameses 
sends  orders  to  the  governors  and  chiefs  of  the 
advanced  guard  to  redouble  their  vigilance  and  to 
explore  all  the  country  round  Kadesh,  to  ascertain 
something  of  the  positions  occupied  by  the  Ehita. 
lie  also  dispatches  single  scouts  in  different  direc¬ 
tions  :  the  captain  of  the  mercenaries,  Phrahiounamif, 
towards  the  east  beyond  the  Jordan  to  ascertain  the 
intentions  of  the  Bedouins ;  Roi,  the  lieutenant  of 
infantry,  towards  Damascus,  although  as  a  rule  there 
is  nothing  to  dread  from  the  tribes  that  live  in  the 
Gaulan  ;  lastly,  Baoukou,  one  of  his  equerries,  towards 
Tyre  and  Sidon,  commanding  him  to  cross  the  Lebanon 
by  Gabouna  to  join  the  army  to  the  south  of  Kadesh, 
and  to  collect  as  much  information  as  he  can  upon 
the  strength  and  composition  of  the  Kliita  forces. 
He  (Pharaoh)  will  follow  cautiously  by  the  usual 
route  from  Gaza  to  Megiddo,  from  Megiddo  to  Kadesh, 
and  will  only  arrange  a  definite  plan  after  receiving 
the  reports  of  his  messengers. 

Baoukou,  accompanied  by  one  servant  only,  starts 
well  armed  in  his  chariot.  He  rapidly  crosses  the 
plain  which  separates  Gaza  from  Joppa.  The  harvest 
has  already  commenced,  but  the  country  is  deserted, 
and  the  villages  that  he  passes  are  almost  entirely 
abandoned.  Although  the  Egyptian  battalions  are 
well  disciplined,  they  do  not  include  amongst  their 
chief  qualities  any  respect  for  the  property  of  others, 
and  all  the  localities  through  which  they  pass,  even 
in  a  friendly  country,  are  doomed  to  pillage.  The  in- 


15G 


THE  JOURNEY. 


habitants,  hearing  of  the  arrival  of  Raineses  at  Gaza, 
have  collected  all  their  valuables,  jewels,  furniture,  and 
goods,  and  have  taken  refuge  with  their  flocks  in  the 
fortified  cities  that,  with  their  crenellated  walls,  crown 
the  hills  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  road.  Beyond 
Joppa  the  aspect  of  the  country  is  changed.  A  red¬ 
dish  sandy  soil  succeeds  the  black  soil ;  a  few  scattered 
oaks  appear,  which  soon  become  grouped  in  clumps, 
then,  growing  closely,  the  forest  commences.  The 
trunks  are  knotty,  twisted,  badly  grown ;  the  tallest 
are  about  thirty  feet  high,  but  the  majority  are  small, 
and  do  not  exceed  the  height  of  the  brushwood. 
Muddy  rivers,  infested  by  crocodiles,  wind  slowly 
amongst  the  thicket,  and  lose  themselves  at  intervals 
in  pestilential  marshes.  It  is  both  a  curious  and  dis¬ 
quieting  spectacle  for  an  Egyptian,  accustomed  to  the 
woodless  country  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  and 
Baoukou  enters  the  forest  with  instinctive  repugnance. 
Without  counting  the  Bedouins  who  haunt  these  parts, 
he  may  encounter  wild  and  formidable  animals — 
hyenas,  savage  boars,  and  bears.  It  is  there,  so  they 
say,  that  Kazariti,  king  of  Assur,  formerly  hunted,  and 
the  recollection  of  his  exploits  has  become  popular  ; 
but  Kazariti  was  a  great  hunter  before  the  Eternal,  a 
legendary  hero,  and  Baoukou  is  only  a  man  —  a  brave 
one,  no  doubt,  but  still  only  a  man.  Alone,  without 
guide  or  escort,  he  advances,  a  little  uncertainly,  upon 
badly  defined  jiaths,  encumbered  by  stones  and  quag¬ 
mires.  All  his  attention  is  absorbed  in  driving  his 
chariot  over  these  obstacles,  and  his  heart  is  in  his 
hand,  lie  perpetually  watches  the  thicket,  fearing  to 
discover  some  ambuscade;  if  a  branch  strikes  him,  or  a 
bramble  unexpectedly  catches  him,  he  thinks  himself 
attacked,  and  prepares  for  defence.  Once  in  turning 
round  he  draws  his  reins  too  tightly,  the  horses  take 
fright  and  plunge  to  one  side,  the  chariot  upsets,  he  is 
thrown  out,  and  gets  up  bleeding  and  wounded.  How¬ 
ever,  the  road  gradually  rises,  and  high  mountains 


THE  JOURNEY. 


157 


appear  on  the  horizon.  The  path  winds  in  the  ascent 
and  passes  between  a  Avail  of  rocks  and  a  deep  preci¬ 
pice  ;  this  is  the  worst  point  in  the  journey.  Baoukou 
advances  cautiously,  step  by  step,  alighting  at  the 
smallest  obstacle.  He  cannot  prevent  his  chariot  from 
Ariolently  striking  an  enormous  block  of  stone  and  being 
damaged  by  the  shock.  The  bolts  break  Avhicli  fasten 
the  pole  to  the  body  of  the  chariot.  He  repairs  them 
as  well  as  he  can,  just  wel  1  enough  for  him  to  reach 
the  next  city  with  a  great  deal  of  management.  For¬ 
tunately  the  gorge  becomes  Avider,  the  slope  begins  to 
descend  very  gently,  the  mountain  seems  to  open  ; 
through  the  gap  he  sees  a  fertile  plain,  and  in  the 
distance  he  descries  the  toAvers  of  Megiddo. 

Megiddo  is  placed  upon  the  top  of  a  rather  high  hill. 
It  is  not  easy  to  reach  ;  a  muddy  stream,  the  Ivanah, 
protects  it  on  the  east,  and,  after  winding  in  the  plain, 
joins  the  river  Kishon  through  meadows  and  marshy 
lands.  It  is  a  small,  poor  town,  sordid  in  appearance, 
but  well  fortified  and  important  through  its  situation. 
The  Syrian  fortresses  are  not,  like  the  Egyptian,  rect¬ 
angles  or  squares,  surrounded  by  brick  walls  running 
straight  from  one  end  to  the  other,  Avithout  projections 
or  recesses ;  their  aauIIs  are  built  in  cut  stone,  and 
exactly  follow  the  outlines  of  the  land  upon  Avhich  they 
are  erected  ;  they  are  defended  by  high,  square  toAvers, 
which  are  heightened  in  war-time  by  the  addition  of 
rough  Avooden  Avails.  The  gates  are  always  placed  be¬ 
tween  two  towers,  built  so  near  to  each  other  that  the 
defenders  can  harass  by  arroAvs  and  stones  the  flank  of 
the  enemy,  Avho  approach  to  break  through  with  axes 
or  the  ram.  Well-fortified  towns  are  sometimes  taken 
by  assault,  but  usually  by  famine.  Megiddo  has  been 
often  besieged.  As  it  commands  the  principal  roads 
between  northern  and  southern  Syria,  betAveen  Egypt 
and  the  land  of  Khita,  the  shores  of  the  Nile  and 
the  Euphrates,  many  armies  haAre  met  beneath  its 
walls,  and  haA’e  fought  there  as  in  a  closed  field. 


158 


THE  JOURNEY. 


Here  Thothmes  III.  defeated  the  Syrians,  who  had 
combined  under  the  leadership  of  the  Prince  of  Kadesh, 
and  he  reduced  the  city  after  a  blockade  of  some  weeks. 
From  that  time  it  has  always  remained  in  the  power  of 
the  Pharaohs. 

It  is  governed  by  an  hereditary  prince  of  native 
race,  under  the  superintendence  of  an  Egyptian  gar¬ 
rison.  As  a  rule,  the  Egyptians  do  not  colonise  the 
cities  which  they  conquer,  or  place  them  under  the 
direct  authority  of  a  governor  nominated  by  Pharaoh. 
They  generally  leave  the  power  and  the  royal  titles  to 
the  sovereigns,  great  or  small,  whom  they  have  van¬ 
quished,  and  content  themselves  with  imposing  a  more 
or  less  heavy  tribute  upon  them.  Every  year  the  royal 
envoys  arrive  from  Thebes,  receive  the  tax,  and  regu¬ 
late  any  difficulties  that  may  have  arisen  between  the 
vassal  and  his  sovereign.  They,  however,  possess  no 
authority  enabling  them  to  interfere  in  the  internal 
affairs  of  the  principality:  the  laws  and  customs  are  pre¬ 
served,  the  priests  of  the  local  religions  celebrate  their 
own  ritual  without  any  constraint,  and  the  hereditary 
succession  to  the  throne  continues  according  to  the  tradi¬ 
tional  practice  of  the  country.  It  frequently  happens, 
particularly  upon  the  accession  of  a  new  Pharaoh,  that 
the  Syrians  endeavour  to  throw  off  this  light  yoke;  they 
refuse  to  pay  the  tribute,  drive  out  or  massacre  the 
royal  messengers,  and,  too  feeble  to  resist  if  they  were 
alone,  some  twenty  or  thirty  princes  combine  in  order 
to  form  a  common  army  capable  of  taking  the  held 
and  maintaining  a  campaign.  Pharaoh  hastens  to  the 
spot,  defeats  them,  disperses  their  troops,  and  forces 
them  to  submit  one  after  the  other.  Sometimes  he 
forgives  them  and  re-establishes  things  as  they  were 
before,  sometimes  he  imprisons  the  rebel  or  puts  him 
to  death  ;  but  he  establishes  one  of  the  prisoner’s  sons 
in  his  place,  or  if  the  sons  are  too  much  compromised 
by  the  paternal  revolt,  one  of  the  relations  who  appears 
devoted  to  Egypt. 


THE  JOURNEY. 


159 


Two  routes  lead  from  Megiddo  to  Tyre.  One,  the 
longest,  hut  the  most  frequented,  descends  to  the  sea, 
following  the  base  of  Mount  Carmel,  and  passing  by 
Accho,  continues  near  the  coast.  The  other  is  rather 
shorter,  but  it  crosses  a  mountainous  district,  in  which 
the  inhabitants  have  a  had  reputation.  They  are  per¬ 
petually  robbing  isolated  travellers  or  the  rich  caravans 
which  pass  from  Tyre  to  Damascus ;  they  pillage  the 
bales,  keep  the  beasts  of  burden,  and  sell  the  merchants 
as  slaves.  Baoukou,  however,  decides  to  take  this  dan¬ 
gerous  way,  for  he  hopes  to  receive  information  upon 
the  movements  of  the  Khita  through  these  wandering 
bandits.  He  makes  an  arrangement  with  one  of  them, 
who  undertakes  to  conduct  him  near  to  Tyre  in  con¬ 
sideration  of  a  handsome  reward.  The  journey  is 
accomplished  without  a  hitch,  and  Baoukou  gains  the 
first  road,  a  little  to  the  north  of  Achshaph,  safe  and 
well,  hut  having  learnt  nothing.  Either  the  barbarians 
have  nothing  to  say  or  they  will  not  speak,  for  they 
declare  that  they  do  not  know  what  the  Ivhita  are 
doing.  They  have  not  met  any  parties  of  the  enemy 
during  their  excursions,  and  do  not  believe  that,  for 
the  present  the  Khita  are  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Kadesh.  Baoukou,  leaving  the  ravines  which  divide 
Mount  Ousirou,*  is  filled  with  astonishment.  Born 
in  the  Theban  nome  he  has  rarely  seen  the  sea,  and 
whenever  he  sees  it  he  deems  it  greater  and  more 
beautiful  than  ever.  From  the  limits  of  the  horizon 
almost  to  his  feet  extends  an  immense  plain  of  water 
dotted  with  sails,  bordered  with  white  foam  at  the  places 
where  the  waves  dash  themselves  upon  the  rocks. 

Most  foreigners  believe  that  the  Egyptians  consider 
the  sea  impure,  and  that  they  have  a  horror  of  it,  so 
that  none  of  them  willingly  venture  upon  it.  This  is 
an  error.  The  Egyptians  do  not  dislike  the  sea,  but 
they  are  not  acquainted  with  it.  Their  country  has 

*  This  is  the  Egyptian  name  of  one  pait  of  the  hills  which  the 
Jewish  tribe  of  Ashur  inhabited  later  on. 


160 


THE  JOURNEY. 


very  little  coast,  and  is  chiefly  bordered  by  sand-hills 
and  marshes,  which  render  it  uninhabitable.  Some 
islands  situated  towards  Rakoti,*  at  the  eastern  ex¬ 
tremity  of  the  Delta,  would  make  a  good  anchoi’age 
for  merchant  vessels  or  war  galleys ;  but  elsewhere  the 
ships  overtaken  by  a  storm  have  no  other  resource  but 
to  take  refuge  in  one  of  the  mouths  of  the  Nile,  at  the 
risk  of  stranding  or  even  of  being  lost  upon  the  sand 
and  mud-banks  which  render  it  so  difficult  of  access. 
The  Egyptians  have,  therefore,  until  now  preferred  the 
land  routes  to  the  sea  ;  however,  when  any  accident 
forces  them  to  face  the  Very-Green,  f  they  have  come 
out  of  their  adventure  with  credit  to  themselves.  The 
Nile  has  accustomed  them  to  handle  oars  and  sails 
from  childhood;  the  experience  acquired  in  navigation 
upon  soft  water  enables  them  to  dispense  with  a  long 
apprenticeship  upon  the  sea.  The  sailors  of  Thebes, 
transported  by  Queen  Hatshepset  to  the  Red  Sea,  knew 
how  to  take  their  five  ships  to  Punt,  and  brought  them 
back  laden  with  incense  and  valuable  produce.  The 
galleys  of  Rameses  II.  ply  regularly  between  Tanis 
or  Pi-Ramisou  and  Tyre ;  yet  the  Syrian  seas  are 
rough,  and  the  Phoenicians  themselves,  skilful  as  they 
claim  to  be,  have  immense  trouble  in  avoiding  the 
current  which  flows  along  their  coasts,  and  carries  to 
them  the  mud  from  the  Nile. 

As  Baoukou  pursues  his  journey  his  astonishment 
redoubles.  The  mountains  press  closely  upon  the 
shore,  and  the  road  sometimes  descends  upon  the 
beach  to  avoid  a  peaked  link  of  the  mountain  chain, 
sometimes  rises  and  ascends  in  a  zig-zag  to  cross  a 
rocky  spur  which  advances  straight  into  the  sea.  In 
one  spot  it  has  been  necessary  to  cut  into  the  stone,  and 
to  hew  out  large  steps,  forming  an  immense  ladder 

*  Rakoti  was  the  name  of  the  small  Egyptian  town  upon  the  site 
where  Alexandria  afterwards  stood. 

+  The  Very-Green  is  the  name  that  the  Egyptians  gave  to  the 
two  seas  with  which  they  were  acquainted,  the  Red  Sea  and  the 
Mediterranean. 


THE  JOURNEY, 


161 


(Fig.  95).  The  waves  dash  with  fury  at  the  foot  of 
the  narrow  cliff,  and  when  a  high  wind  rises  each  of 


Fig.  95. — The  Tyrian  Ladders. 


its  breakers  shakes  the  whole  wall  like  a  blow  from  a 
ram,  and  detaches  a  fragment  of  the  rock.  Baoukou, 
although  emboldened  by  the  desert  and  the  perils  he  has 
12 


162 


THE  JOURNEY. 


escaped,  at  first  ventures  upon  this  path  trembling  as 
he  advances  step  by  step  ;  but  he  soon  realises  that  there 
is  no  serious  danger  and  hastens  his  march.  This  is 
the  last  obstacle.  Beyond  these  Tyrian  Ladders  the 
mountain  retires  inland,  and  leaves  room  for  a  fairly 
wide  plain,  bordered  towards  the  north  by  a  great  cape. 
Cultivated  fields,  olive  woods,  shady  orchards,  then  a 
city  stretching  along  the  sand  on  the  edge  of  the  water, 
and  opposite  another  city  girded  with  towers,  which 
seems  to  have  risen  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea  by  magic 
spells. 

The  first  Phoenicians  established  themselves  upon 
the  continent  more  than  twelve  centuries  ago  and  there 
founded  the  original  Tyre,  which  was  once  prosperous. 
Their  descendants  afterwards  settled  upon  the  islands, 
which  extended  like  a  broken  jetty  parallel  with  the 
coast ;  the  new  Tyre,  which  they  then  built,  gradually 
ruined  the  old  one.  The  site  was  in  a  wild  spot,  con¬ 
tinually  beaten  by  the  waves  and  wind.  There  was 
very  little  water,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  brackish 
springs ;  even  now  the  inhabitants  have  only  the  water 
collected  in  their  cisterns,  and  dainty  people  send  boats 
every  day  to  fetch  spring  water  from  the  continent. 
However,  these  are  minor  inconveniences,  if  we  compare 
them  to  the  advantages  secured  to  the  Island  Tyre  by 
her  position.  In  case  of  war  the  arm  of  the  sea  which 
separates  her  from  the  coast  becomes  a  moat :  behind  it 
she  can  defy  all  the  threats  of  the  enemy.  Her  fleet 
brings  her  provisions  from  a  distance,  and  supplies  her 
without  the  possibility  of  any  human  interference  with 
as  much  food  and  as  many  mercenaries  as  she  can  wish 
for.  She  continues  her  trade  with  neutral  or  allied 
nations  as  in  time  of  peace,  and  whilst  uselessly 
blockaded,  amasses  in  two  or  three  campaigns  as  much 
as  she  requires  to  rebuild  the  old  Tyre,  reconstruct  the 
villas,  and  restore  the  farms  which  have  been  burnt  or 
pillaged  during  the  war.  The  Tyrians  might  have 
refused  the  suzerainty  of  Pharaoh  and  have  easily 


THE  JOURNEY. 


163 


evaded  the  tribute,  like  tbeir  fellow-countrymen  of 
Aradou,  in  Northern  Phoenicia,  had  they  wished  to  do 
so.  This  noble  independence  would  have  satisfied  their 
vanity,  but  it  would  have  injured  their  interests:  besides 
the  ravages  to  which  their  mainland  would  have  been 
exposed,  they  would  have  been  for  ever  excluded  from 
Egypt ;  that  is,  from  the  market  where,  at  present,  the 
most  business  is  carried  on.  They  have  established  the 
balance  between  the  small  wound  which  prompt  sub¬ 
mission  inflicted  upon  their  vanity  and  the  considerable 
damage  which  the  hostility  of  Egypt  could  inflict  upon 
their  commerce,  and  have  resigned  themselves  to  paying 
a  tribute,  which  they  multiply  one  hundred-fold  every 
year,  whilst  Pharaoh  from  that  time  has  never  owned 
more  faithful  vassals,  or  any  that  have  given  him  less 
trouble. 

Baoukou  leaves  his  chariot  and  horses  at  Old  Tyre, 
in  the  house  of  the  royal  messenger  who  comes  annually 
to  collect  the  tribute-money,  and  embarks  with  his 
servant  for  New  Tyre.  It  is  built  upon  three  small 
islands,  separated  from  each  other  by  shallow  canals 
strewn  with  half-submerged  rocks.  The  city  bears  no 
resemblance  to  any  of  the  towns  which  an  Egyptian  is 
accustomed  to  see  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile.  Here  the 
smallest  inch  of  ground  is  valuable,  and  there  are 
neither  gardens  nor  squares,  nor  wide  irregularly  built 
streets.  The  latter  are  really  alleys  gliding  between 
the  houses,  which  are  four  or  five  stories  high,  and  so 
close  together  that  they  resemble  the  cells  of  a  hive. 
The  temples — even  that  of  Melkarth,  the  most  ancient 
and  most  venerated  of  them  all — have  but  just  enough 
space  left  round  them  to  allow  for  the  worship  and  the 
passage  of  the  processions.  The  dry  docks,  in  which 
the  ships  are  built  and  repaired,  lay  along  the  canals, 
especially  on  the  north  and  the  south-east,  in  what  is 
called  the  Sidonian  and  Egyptian  ports.  The  shops  are 
low  and  narrow',  and  the  rooms  are  very  small  in  which 
the  Tyrians  manufacture  those  purple  stuffs,  glass-ware, 


164 


THE  JOURNEY. 


gold  and  silver  vases,  amulets  copied  from  the  Egyptian 
amulets,  which  the  merchant  captains  carry  with  them, 
and  scatter  in  profusion  over  all  the  shores  of  the  Mediter¬ 
ranean.  Save  in  the  quarters  near  the  port,  or  in  the 

vicinity  of  the  temple  of 
Astarte,  where  the  crews  of 
newly  arrived  vessels  spend 
their  share  of  the  profits  in 
feasting,  the  crowd  which 
fills  the  street  is  entirely 
absorbed  in  its  business. 

The  majority  of  the  na¬ 
tives  wear  similar  costumes 
(Fig.  96)  :  nude  bust,  short 
many-coloured  cotton  drawers, 
fastened  round  the  waist  by 
a  long  sash,  its  ends  falling 
in  the  front ;  the  feet  are 
either  bare  or  protected  by 
high  boots  reaching  to  the 
calf ;  the  hair  flowing  in 
ringlets,  sometimes  to  the 
waist,  and  ornamented  in 
front  by  four  rows  of  curls. 
From  this  original  type 
Fig.  96.— A  Phoenician.  twenty  others  may  be  dis¬ 

tinguished  —  the  Amorrean 
and  the  mountaineer  from  Lebanon,  with  his  long 
red  and  blue  robe,  whicli  forms  a  cape  over  the 
shoulders,  and  his  hair  massed  in  a  bunch  upon 
each  side  of  his  head  and  the  nape  of  his  neck,  but 
held  back  in  front  by  a  head-band  (Fig.  97)  ;  the 
Egyptian,  with  his  white  drawers  and  curled  wig ;  the 
Toursha  and  the  Sagalasha  of  Asia  Minor,  wearing  a 
mariner’s  red  woollen  cap  ;  the  barbarous  Acheans  and 
Daneans,  white  of  skin,  with  red  or  fair  hair,  clothed  in 
an  animal’s  skin  or  in  a  tunic  ;  some  negroes,  even,  and 
some  tattooed  savages  from  Hesperia  and  the  silver 


THE  JOURNEY. 


165 


and  tin  mines  from  beyond  Gadir.  Neither  in  Mem¬ 
phis,  Thebes,  or  Tarsis  had  Baoukou  ever  seen  such  a 
mixture  of  foreign  types  and  races,  and  could  he  but 
enter  the  houses  his  stupefaction  would  be  redoubled.  In 
fact,  the  Tyrians  are  the  most 
skilful  agents  of  the  slave 
trade  in  the  whole  woi’ld. 

They  sell  most  of  the  slaves 
that  they  import  upon  their 
vessels  to  Egyptian  or  As¬ 
syrian  merchants,  but  a  great 
many  remain  upon  their 
hands,  particularly  women 
and  young  girls.  It  is  not 
only  the  countries  of  Asia 
that  furnish  their  contin¬ 
gent,  Chaldea,  Assyria,  Elam, 

Ourati,  but  the  coasts  of  the 
Archipelago  and  Euxine 
seas,  and  the  Achean  islands, 

Lybia,  and  the  countries 
beyond  ;  but  with  regard 
to  the  latter  they  are  very 
secretive,  and  will  neither 
disclose  their  situation  nor 
even  mention  them  before  a 
stranger,  fearing  to  rouse 
jealousy  and  perhaps  excite  competition. 

A  few  Egyptian  vessels  are  anchored  in  the  port, 
loading  with  merchandise  for  Tanis  or  Memphis. 
They  nearly  resemble  the  boats  on  the  Nile,  and  are 
in  fact  destined  for  navigation  upon  the  river  as  well 
as  the  sea  (Fig.  98).  The  hull,  placed  upon  a  rounded 
keel,  is  low  and  narrow-,  raised  and  sharpened  at  each 
end,  decked  all  over.  The  prow  is  armed  with  a  metal 
spur,  held  in  place  by  strong  cords,  and  projecting 
about  three  feet  out  of  the  water,  then  straightened 
and  overhanging  the  front  of  the  ship  about  one  yard 


Fis.  97. — A  Syrian  from  the 
North. 


166 


THE  JOURNEY. 


more.  The  poop,  longer  and  higher  than  the  prow,  is 
surmounted  by  a  long  metal  lotus-stalk  with  a  fully 
opened  dower  bending  inwards.  Prow  and  poop  have 
each  a  deck,  provided  with  a  wooden  balustrade,  and 
serving  as  the  forecastle  and  quarter-deck.  The  hold 
is  not  deep,  and  can  only7  contain  the  ballast,  weapons, 
cargo,  and  provisions.  The  bulwarks  are  about  half  a 
yard  higher  than  the  bridge.  The  short,  narrow 
benches  for  the  rowers  are  placed  close  to  the  bul¬ 
warks,  leaving  an  empty  space  in  the  centre,  where  a 


Fig.  98. — An  Egyptian  Ship,  Sailing  and  Bowing. 


boat,  if  there  be  one,  may  be  put,  or  bales  of  mer¬ 
chandise,  soldiers,  slates,  or  extra  passengers  may  be 
stowed. 

The  rowers,  all  Egyptians,  are  fifteen  in  a  band, 
and  each  handles  one  oar.  The  helm  is  formed  of  two 
thick  oars,  supported  by  an  upright  placed  on  either 
side  of  the  poop,  and  each  managed  by  a  helmsman 
standing  before  it.  A  single  mast  about  eight  yards 
high,  and  secured  by  two  stays  in  front  and  two 
behind,  stands  perpendicularly  in  the  midst.  One  sail 
is  stretched  between  the  two  yards  about  fifteen  yards 
long,  each  formed  of  two  solidly  bound  pieces.  The 
crew  includes  thirty  rowers,  four  topmen,  two  helms¬ 
men,  one  pilot  at  the  prow,  who  transmits  to  the 


THE  JOURNEY. 


167 


helmsmen  the  necessary  indications  for  steering,  a 
captain,  and  one  overseer  for  the  galley  slaves,  which, 
with  passengers  or  soldiers,  make  about  fifty  men  on 
board  each  vessel.  In  battle  the  bulwarks  are  raised 
by  a  long  mantlet,  which  shields  the  bodies  of  the 
rowers  and  leaves  only  their  heads  exposed.  The 
soldiers  are  then  distributed :  two  of  them  are  placed 
upon  the  forecastle,  a  third  is  perched  at  the  top  of 
the  mast  in  an  improvised  cross-trees ;  the  remainder 
are  posted  upon  the  bridge  and  quarter-deck,  from 
whence  they  endeavour  to  shoot  the  archers  on  the 
enemy’s  galley. 

The  Phoenician  vessels  differ  from  the  Egyptian  in 
details  only.  Built  of  excellent  timber  from  Lebanon 
and  Amanus,  they  are  stronger  and  longer ;  they  are 
more  seaworthy,  and  can  undertake  more  dangerous 
voyages.  Their  crews  are  also  more  daring  and  skilful 
than  the  Egyptian.  These  latter  rarely  venture  beyond 
sight  of  the  coast.  They  travel  within  range  of  the 
shore  by  day  and  stop  at  night,  continuing  their  course 
in  the  morning.  In  this  way  they  succeed  in  the  most 
dangerous  voyages,  in  gaining  the  ladders  of  incense  in 
the  land  of  Punt ;  for  them  it  is  but  a  question  of 
time,  and  time  does  not  count  for  much  in  Egypt. 
The  Phoenicians  have  learnt  to  venture  upon  the  open 
sea,  and  even  to  navigate  during  the  night.  They  sail 
directly  from  Tyre  or  Sidon  to  the  island  of  Asi,*  from 
the  isle  of  Asi  to  the  promontories  of  Lycia  and  the 
distant  Rhodes,  then  from  island  to  island  to  the  lands 
of  the  Acheans,  the  Daneans,  and  from  thence  towards 
Hesperia.  They  observe  the  position  of  the  sun  by 
day,  and  steer  by  the  Great  Bear  at  night.  They  have 
at  many  points  stable  establishments,  wdiich  in  some 
cases  have  developed  into  great  cities ;  elsewhere  they 
only  appear  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  and  depart 
after  trading  with  the  natives.  They  all  disembark, 
and  display  on  the  ground,  or  upon  rapidly  erected 
*  The  island  of  Asi,  Asia,  is  the  island  of  Cyprus. 


168 


THE  JOURNEY. 


stalls,  the  produce  which  they  know  the  inhabitants 
of  the  country  consider  valuable  :  sometimes  jewels, 
bracelets,  collars,  amulets  of  glass  or  enamelled  stone, 
of  gold  or  silver ;  sometimes  weapons,  axes,  swords 
damascened  and  chased;  sometimes  vases,  or  stuffs  dyed 
purple  or  embroidered  in  brilliant  colours.  Most  of  these 
objects  are  of  Egyptian  manufacture,  or  fabricated  in 
Phoenicia  from  Egyptian  models  more  or  less  modified 
by  the  influence  of  the  Chaldean  types.  We  may 
thus  see  poignards  from  Egypt  worn  by  the  chiefs  of 
Tyrinthe  or  Mycenea  ;  on  their  fingers,  rings  decorated 
with  lotus  blossoms;  on  their  necks,  cylinders  of  Baby¬ 
lonian  origin. 

The  exchange  does  not  always  take  place  without 
a  quarrel,  nor  even  without  danger.  Sometimes  the 
natives,  over-excited  by  the  sight  of  so  many  beautiful 
things,  try  to  obtain  possession  of  them  by  craft  or 
violence.  They  surprise  the  merchants  that  have 
landed,  kill  them,  and  even  seize  the  vessels.  But 
most  frequently  it  is  the  Phoenicians  who  take  advan¬ 
tage  of  the  honesty  or  weakness  of  the  natives.  They 
fall  upon  the  unarmed  crowd,  spoil  and  kill  the  old 
men,  bind  the  young  men,  women,  and  children,  and 
carry  them  into  slavery ;  or  they  invent  some  pretext 
for  inveigling  the  daughters  of  the  chiefs  upon  their 
vessels.  They  pretend  that  they  have  some 
particularly  valuable  jewels  and  materials  that  they 
dare  not  land  for  fear  of  being  robbed.  Whilst  the 
women  are  looking  at  the  goods  the  anchor  is  gently 
raised,  and  as  soon  as  the  ship  is  well  away  from  land 
their  guests  are  seized  and  bound  to  prevent  them 
from  throwing  themselves  overboard  and  swimming  to 
land.  Greek  or  Lycian  women  are  valuable  in  the 
Egyptian  and  Assyrian  markets,  and  more  than  one 
amongst  them  has  ended  her  life  as  a  slave  or  favourite 
in  the  harems  of  Thebes  or  Nineveh. 

At  last  Baoukou  receives  in  Tyre  some  certain 
information  about  the  Ivhita,  and  also  upon  the  march 


THE  JOURNEY. 


169 


of  the  Egyptian  army.  Raineses  has  penetrated  into 
the  valley  of  the  Orontes,  and  is  leisurely  advancing 
towards  Kadesh.  As  to  the  Khita,  they  have  only 
parties  of  light  troops  on  the  plains,  holding  the  main 
body  of  their  forces  concealed  in  the  recesses  of  Lebanon 
to  the  north-west  of  the  city.  Baoukou,  after  hesi¬ 
tating  a  moment,  decides  to  push  on  beyond  Sidon, 
then  to  cross  the  mountain  towards  the  point  where 
the  enemies  are  hidden,  so  that  he  may  carry  to 
Pharaoh  precise  information  upon  the  positions  which 
they  occupy.  There  is  no  beaten  route  between  Sidon 
and  the  valley  of  the  Orontes,  but  travellers  follow  the 
faint  tracks  known  to  the  goatherds  and  Bedouins 
only.  The  Cyprus  commences  half-way  up,  mingled 
with  firs  and  large  centenarian  cedars,  which  seem  to 
ascend  to  heaven,  their  thick  foliage  almost  impene¬ 
trable  to  the  light.  Not  even  between  Joppa  and 
Megiddo  has  Baoukou  ever  found  himself  in  such 
gloomy  masses  of  forest,  so  stifling,  so  dumb.  The 
silence  and  isolation  overwhelm  him,  as  they  are  re¬ 
ported  to  overwhelm  the  souls  in  the  voyage  beyond 
the  tomb  in  search  of  the  paradise  of  Osiris  ;  a  religious 
horror  of  the  great  woods  seizes  him.  Once  more  his 
chariot  breaks  down  half-way  up  the  hill,  and  the 
horses  drag  it  laboriously ;  sometimes  a  lion  roars  in 
the  distance,  or  the  yelping  laugh  of  a  hyena  is  heard 
in  the  thicket. 

Towards  evening  he  reaches  the  summit  of  the 
mountain,  and,  tired  out,  he  falls  asleep,  without  eat¬ 
ing,  without  even  lighting  a  camp  fire  ;  when  awak¬ 
ened  by  the  cold  of  the  morning,  he  is  alone,  no  one  is 
near  him.  The  guide  had  tried  to  steal  his  horses,  but 
they  snorted  at  the  touch  of  a  strange  hand,  so  he  was 
forced  to  relinquish  his  intention ;  the  thief  has  fallen 
back  upon  the  luggage,  and  has  carried  off  one  por¬ 
tion  of  it.  However,  the  servant,  roused  by  the  noise, 
caught  sight  of  him  and  took  care  not  to  warn  his 
master;  the  robber  once  gone,  he  laid  hands  upon  the 


170 


THE  JOURNEY. 


remainder  of  the  goods  and  decamped  in  his  turn. 
Baoukou  is,  therefore,  alone  upon  the  mountain,  in  the 
midst  of  a  thick  fog,  which  prevents  him  seeing  twenty 
steps  before  him.  One  false  movement  will  throw  him 
off  the  road,  into  some  ravine,  where  he  may  perhaps 
break  both  arms  and  legs ;  the  best  thing:  is  to  wait  for 
the  dawn.  Soon  the  mist  rises,  the  peaks  slowly  emerge 
above  it,  followed  by  the  wooded  slopes,  and  the  vapours 
gradually  retire  to  the  valley,  from  whence  the  sun’s 
rays  quickly  dislodge  them.  Baoukou  sees  at  his  feet 
the  whole  plain  of  Syria  unrolled  before  him,  like  a  chess¬ 
board,  with  its  fields,  its  clumps  of  trees,  its  scattered 
villages,  its  rivers,  their  winding  course  traced  out  by 
double  rows  of  trees,  the  Egyptian  camp,  and,  beyond, 
the  small  lake  of  Kadesli  shining  in  the  sun.  The 
path  improves  as  he  descends  the  hill  and  drives 
quickly  towards  the  valley.  Baoukou  now  abandons 
the  fragments  of  his  chariot,  takes  the  two  horses  by 
the  reins,  and  starts  again,  glad  to  have  escaped  so 
easily.  Once  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  he  intends 
to  mount  one  of  the  animals  and  lead  the  other  as  a 
second  horse,  while  a  gallop  of  two  hours  will  take  him 
to  the  Egyptian  camp.* 

But  at  a  turn  in  the  road  a  confused  noise,  as  of  a 
great  multitude,  suddenly  strikes  his  ear.  He  cau¬ 
tiously  advances,  puts  aside  the  branches  of  a  bush  and 
perceives  below  him,  in  a  large  valley,  columns  of 
men  and  horses  arranged  in  good  order  and  ready  to 
start  at  the  first  signal.  This  is  the  army  of  the  Prince 
of  Kkita,  which  its  chief  has  concealed  until  now  and 
which  he  had  assembled  in  this  spot  on  the  previous 
day.  As  Baoukou  watches,  a  movement  commences 
and  spreads  through  the  mass.  The  aides-de-camp 
hurry  to  and  fro,  carrying  orders,  the  soldiers  cast  a 
last  glance  over  the  harness  of  their  horses,  the  wheels 
and  poles,  then  mount  their  chariots  and  seize  the 

*  The  journey  here  ascribed  to  Baoukou  is  the  journey  described 
in  some  pages  of  the  l  apyrus  Anastasi,  No.  1,  reversed. 


THE  JOURNEY. 


171 


reins.  A  shout  of  command  is  heard,  then  the  crack¬ 
ing  of  many  whips,  and  the  chariots  roll  away,  division 
after  division.  The  Khita  are  at  the  head  of  the 
column  ;  their  chariots,  heavier  and  larger  than  those  of 
llie  Egyptians,  each  contain  three  men — a  warrior,  a 
coachman,  and  a  shield-bearer,  who  protects  his  two 
comrades.  They  wear  long  striped  robes  of  red  and  blue, 
red  and  white,  or  blue  and  white,  and  are  armed  with  the 
bow,  lance,  and  dagger.  Their  auxiliaries,  the  Darde- 
nians  and  Mysians  follow  them,  and  the  remainder  of 
the  contingents  from  Asia  Minor  and  Syria  close  the 
rear.  There  are  two  thousand  five  hundred  chariots, 
divided  into  four  hands  of  almost  equal  force,  Baou- 
kou  follows  them  with  his  eyes,  and  notices  that,  in¬ 
stead  of  hastening  across  the  plain,  they  advance 
slowly,  concealing  themselves  behind  the  trees  and 
taking  advantage  of  the  least  irregularity  of  the 
ground  to  hide  their  approach.  A  surprise  is  being 
prepared,  and  will  perhaps  entail  disaster  for  the 
Egyptian  army  if  Pharaoh  be  not  warned  in  time. 
Baoukou  hastens  his  steps,  reaches  the  foot  of  the 
mountain,  and  gallops  straight  to  the  camp.  At  last 
the  enemy  catches  sight  of  him  as  he  reaches  the  open 
country  :  three  or  four  chariots  leave  the  first  division, 
but,  seeing  that  they  cannot  overtake  him,  return  to 
the  ranks,  after  shooting  some  arrows  at  him,  which 
fall  far  short  of  their  mark. 


CHAPTER,  X. 


THE  BATTLE. 

The  Egyptian  camp  before  Kaclesh  —  Incidents  of  camp  life  —  The 
Khita  spies — Departure:  the  order  of  the  march  —  The  Egyptian 
camp  surprised  by  the  Khita — Rameses  charges  the  enemy  — 
Speech  of  Rameses  to  his  generals  —  The  battle  of  Kadesh  — 
After  the  victory  —  Khitasir  sues  for  peace  —  Treaty  between 
Rameses  and  the  Khita. 

The  Egyptian  camp  has  been  established  for  some  days 
upon  the  right  bank  of  the  Orontes,  at  some  distance  to 
the  south  of  Kadesh.  It  is  a  rectangular  enclosure,  twice 
as  long  as  it  is  wide  (Tig.  99).  The  earth  from  the  moat, 
thrown  inwards  and  heaped  together,  forms  a  rampart 
of  almost  the  same  height  as  a  man  ;  large  wicker¬ 
work  shields,  square  at  the  base,  rounded  at  the  top, 
are  placed  on  the  outer  side  of  this  rudimentary  wall 
and  serve  as  a  facing.  A  single  door  opens  in  one  of 
the  walls,  and  a  plank  serves  as  a  bridge  for  entrance 
and  exit.  Two  squads  of  infantry  posted  inside,  half 
at  each  side  of  the  gate,  keep  guard  night  and  day, 
stick  and  bare  sword  in  hand  (Fig.  100).  The  inside 
area  is  divided  lengthways  into  three  compartments, 
traced  out  by  light  walls.  The  centre  division  belongs 
to  the  king,  and  contains  his  pavilion  ;  in  it  Pharaoh 
finds  all  the  comfort  and  luxury  of  his  Egyptian 
palaces — a  bedroom,  an  audience-hall,  a  dining-room, 
and  even  a  chapel,  where  he  offers  water  and  incense 
every  morning  to  his  father,  Amen-ra,  lord  of  Thebes. 
The  princes  who  accompany  him,  his  equerries  and 


THE  BATTLE. 


173 


aoxmcmn^^ 


JJXCDXU  jj  jjJGJXUJja-U-U 


ig.  99.— The  Egyptian  Camp  before  Kadesh  :  the  persons  kneeling  in  the  king’s  tent  are  priests  reciting  a  prayer. 
The  Khita  have  forced  the  wall  towards  the  upper  corner  to  the  right,  and  their  chariots  are  entering  the 
camp  ;  a  few  of  the  infantry  are  hurrying  up  to  meet  them. 


174 


THE  BATTLE. 


generals,  are  lodged  near  him  ;  behind,  in  long  lines, 
stand  the  horses  and  war-chariots,  the  luggage-cars,  and 
the  oxen  that  drag  them.  Before  the  oxen,  a  waggon 
covered  with  an  awning  serves  to  convey  the  strangest 

auxiliary  that  man  ever 
dreamed  of  taking  upon  a 
field  of  battle.  Baineses  is 
always  accompanied  by  an 
enormous  lion,  tamed  and 
trained  to  attack  the  enemy. 
Usually  the  animal  is  fairly 
gentle,  and  displays  all  the 
friendliness  of  a  large  dog ; 
but  it  becomes  excited  in 
battle,  and  returns  to  its 
natural  ferocity.  The  two 
compartments  to  the  right 
and  left  are  abandoned  to  the  soldiers.  They  contain 
neither  tents  nor  temporary  huts.  The  Egyptians  are 
accustomed  to  live  in  the  open  air ;  they  cook,  eat, 
sleep,  attend  to  all  their  business  in  public..  .Here  one 
of  them  watches  a  saucepan  whilst  cleaning  his 
weapons ;  another  is  drinking  from  a  skin  of  wine  that 
a  slave  assists  him  to  hold ;  a  third  has  dismounted  his 
chariot  and  is  replacing  a  worn  piece  of  it ;  others 
sharpen  their  daggers  or  lances — exchange  blows  with 
fist  or  stick.  The  chariots  are  placed  in  the  front  of 
each  squad,  the  luggage  is  piled  upon  the  ground — 
linen,  weapons,  provisions.  The  war-horses  and  lug- 
yaoe-asses  eat  and  rest  at  their  ease  ;  here  and  there  a 
jovial  donkey  rolls  upon  the  ground,  braying  with 
pleasure  (Fig.  101). 

The  officers  who  return  from  the  outside  bring 
neAvs  to  those  who  have  not  left  the  camp.  Nothing 
yet :  the  vile  Kliita  persist  in  remaining  invisible,  and 
all  the  Asiatics  whom  they  question  either  knoAv 
nothing  or  will  know  nothing.  A  few  young  men  are 
inclined  to  consider  the  action  of  the  enemy  a  proof  of 


Fig.  100. — The  Guard  at  the 
Gate. 


THE  BATTLE. 


175 


Fig.  101. — Scenes  in  the  Egyptian  Camp. 


176 


THE  BATTLE. 


impotence  and  cowardice :  Khitasir  is  hiding  because 
he  is  afraid.  The  veterans  shake  their  heads  as  they 
listen  to  these  remarks  ;  like  Pharaoh,  they  think  that 
the  battle  is  near,  and  the  less  the  enemy  shows  him¬ 
self  the  more  they  distrust  him.  The  vile  Ivhita  has 
good  generals,  a  well- disciplined  army,  allies  full  of 
energy  ;  if  he  does  not  move  it  is  because  he  is  preparing 
some  surprise.  If  the  eye  could  penetrate  the  ravines 
and  woody  mountains  that  surround  the  plain,  perhaps 
the  army  so  vainly  sought  for  two  months  might  be 
discovered.  The  storm  usually  gathers  on  the  heights; 
woe  to  us  on  the  day  that  it  bursts  over  the  plain. 
Meanwhile  Pharaoh  would  do  well  to  redouble  his 
vigilance.  A  surprise  is  sudden  in  warfare,  and  a 
defeat  under  the  walls  of  Iiadesh  wrould  take  the  army 
back  to  Glaza  more  quickly  than  it  had  come. 

Rameses  is  not  less  preoccupied  than  his  old  captains. 
All  the  reports  that  he  received  from  the  scouts  agree 
that  there  is  no  inimical  army  for  twenty  leagues 
round,  but  how  can  they  believe  that  Khitasir  woidd  con¬ 
sent  to  abandon  the  richest  provinces  of  his  kingdom  to 
the  Egyptians  without  striking  a  blow  in  their  defence  ? 
The  Bedouins  that  come  before  him  assert  that  the 
Khita  are  still  forty  leagues  away,  near  to  Khilibu ; 
their  army  is  assembling  but  slowly,  and  perhaps  it 
would  be  wise  to  attack  them  before  it  is  completely 
organized.  After  a  long  hesitation,  it  is  finally  decided 
to  act  upon  this  information.  Rameses  summons  his 
generals,  describes  his  plan  of  campaign,  and  issues 
orders  for  a  general  departure  at,  daybreak.  lie  leaves 
Kadesh  behind  him  and  proposes  going  in  search  of 
the  allies  in  the  heart  of  their  own  country.  The 
legion  of  Plira  will  form  the  left,  and  will  cross  the 
valley  to  the  south  of  Shabtouna ;  the  legion  of  Ptah 
will  advance  in  the  centre  towards  the  village  of 
Arnam  ;  the  legion  of  Sutekh  will  take  up  its  position 
to  the  right  and  will  follow  the  high  road.  The  legion 
of  Amen  will  remain  in  camp  and  only  go  out  on  the 


THE  BATTLE. 


177 


morrow  with,  the  king.  Every  preparation  is  made 
during  the  night,  and  at  the  first  hour  of  dawn  the 
three  columns  commence  their  march,  each  in  the 
direction  already  indicated. 

The  enemy’s  scouts,  who  are  watching  the  Egyptians 
fi’om  the  top  of  the  hills,  signal  their  departure. 
Khitasir  at  once  places  his  troops  under  arms,  and 
prepares  for  any  emergency.  Does  Rameses  suspect 
the  snare  laid  for  him,  and  is  this  a  manoeuvre  to  draw 
the  enemy  into  the  plain  ?  Is  he  really  raising  his 
camp  and  going  towards  Kliilibu,  deceived  by  the  false 
reports  sent  to  him  through  the  Bedouins  ?  Gradually 
the  movement  increases,  the  Egyptian  columns  dis¬ 
appear  and  are  lost  in  the  clouds  of  dust  raised  by  the 
wheels  of  their  chariots  and  the  feet  of  their  horses. 
Khitasir  has  recognised  the  standards  and  knows  that 
two-thirds  of  the  Egyptian  army  are  already  beyond 
Ivadesh.  Raineses  is  left  with  but  a  single  legion  and 
his  household  guard.  It  is  true  that  they  are  the  best 
soldiers  of  Egypt,  but  for  how  many  hours  could  they 
sustain  the  shock  of  2500  Asiatic  chariots  ?  There 
would  be  time  to  foi’ce  the  camp,  whilst  the  divisions 
so  imprudently  launched  towards  the  north  would  be 
still  marching  forward.  The  legion  of  Amen  would  be 
crushed,  Pharaoh  killed  or  taken  prisoner  before  they 
could  return,  and  they  could  be  easily  defeated  in  their 
turn,  when  once  deprived  of  their  leader.  The  morning 
advances,  the  sun  is  already  high  in  the  horizon,  the 
Egyptian  camp  has  returned  to  its  usual  state,  and  no 
one  seems  to  suspect  that  anything  is  likely  to  happen. 
Khitasir  gives  the  signal  so  long  expected,  and  his 
army  descends  into  the  plain  at  a  gallop. 

Rameses,  having  witnessed  the  departure  of  his 
troops,  re-enters  his  tent,  and  seats  himself  upon  his 
golden  throne.  He  is  talking  to  his  two  eldest  sons, 
when  some  of  his  scouts  arrive,  bringing  with  them 
two  of  the  Khita  spies,  whom  they  lead  before  the  King. 
Ilis  Majesty  inquires,  ‘  What  nation  do  you  belong 
13 


178 


THE  BATTLE. 


to?’  At  first  they  refuse  to  answer,  but  a  severe 
beating  forces  them  to  speak  (Fig.  102).  They  own 


that  they  belong  to  the 
King  of  Khita,  and  have 
been  sent  to  see  where 
Ilis  Majesty  is  esta¬ 
blished.  Raineses  then 
asks,  ‘  Where  is  the 
miserable  Khita  ?  for  I 
have  been  told  that  he  is 
near  Khilibu.’  The  spies 


A 

Fig.  102. — The  Spies  are  beaten. 


answer,  ‘  Behold,  the  King  of  Khita,  he  and  the 
nations  he  has  brought  with  him  in  great  numbers,  all 
the  peoples  that  dwell  in  the  land  of  Khita,  from  the 
whole  of  Naharanna  and  Sidi.*  Now  he  is  powerful 
with  many  soldiers,  with  chariot  soldiers  with  their 
harness,  as  many  as  the  sand  of  the  seashore,  and  they 
are  ready  to  fight  behind  Kadesh.’  This  revela¬ 
tion  fills  the  king  with  rage  and  anxiety.  Is  there 
yet  time  to  recall  the  three  legions,  or  must  he  abandon 
the  camp  and  try  to  rejoin  them  before  the  enemy 
appears  ? 

Pharaoh  immediately  summons  the  captain  of  the 
legion  of  Amen,  the  captain  of  the  Shairetana,  and  the 
leaders  of  his  chariot  soldiers,  to  tell  them  the  news 
that  the  stick  has  just  wrested  from  the  two  spies 
of  the  Khita  (Fig.  103).  ‘See  what  the  chiefs  of  the 
scouts  and  the  vassal  princes  of  the  lands  of  Pharaoh 
have  done.  They  have  said  daily  unto  me,  “  The  King 
of  Khita  is  at  Khilibu ;  he  has  fled  before  Pharaoh.” 
They  have  asserted  this  as  a  certainty,  and  behold  I 
have  now  learnt  from  the  two  spies  that  the  King  of 
Khita  has  come  up  with  much  people,  with  men  and 
horses  as  many  as  the  sand,  and  that  he  is  behind 
Kadesh.  Yet  the  scouts  of  the  vassal  princes  of  the 
land  knew  nothing  of  this.’  The  generals  are  quite 

*  Naharanna  is  the  country  between  OroDtes  and  Balikh ;  Sidi, 
the  coast  of  Cilicia,  the  Keiis  of  the  Greek  geographers. 


THE  BATTLE. 


179 


as  much  disturbed  as  the  king  had  been.  ‘  The  fault 
is  great  that  the  governors  of  the  land  and  the  vassal 
princes  of  Pharaoh  have  committed  in  neglecting  to 
watch  the  movements  of  the  Khita.’  But  there  is 
no  time  for  recriminations,  the  king  must  act  quickly. 
He  decides  to  send  orders  to  the  legions  to  return 
by  forced  marches,  and  the  Council  was  about  to 
separate,  so  that  the  camp  might  be  prepared  for  de¬ 


coming  of  the  enemy.  Khitasir  arrived  almost  imme¬ 
diately  with  his  whole  army :  in  a  few  minutes  the 
moat  was  filled  up,  the  earthwork  thrown  down  in 
spite  of  the  shields  which  covered  it,  and  the  Asiatics 
swarmed  into  the  camp  through  the  breach.  The 
surprise  was  complete  :  a  number  of  foot  soldiers 
were  killed  before  they  could  seize  their  weapons  ; 
a  few  squadrons  rallied,  and,  supported  by  the 
Shairetana,  for  a  short  time  succeeded  in  checking 
the  enemy  at  the  gates  of  the  royal  quarters. 
They  were  borne  down  by  numbers,  and  were  already 
breaking  their  ranks,  when  a  war-cry  was  suddenly 
heard  throughout  the  camp,  blended  with  a  loud  roar 


180 


THE  BATTLE. 


—  Rameses  IT.  and  his  lion  at  last  appeared  on  the 
field  of  battle. 

Pharaoh,  when  he  first  saw  the  Ivhita  chariots,  was 
beside  himself  with  rage,  like  his  father  Mentha  of 
Thebes.  Tie  put  on  his  armour,  seized  his  lance, 
ordered  his  lion  to  be  loosened;  then,  entering  his 
chariot,  he  rushed  into  the  thickest  part  of  the  con¬ 
flict  (Fig.  104).  The  few  chariots  that  followed  him 


1’ig.  101. — Bampses  II.  in  his  Chariot:  the  King’s  Lion  charges 
by  the  side  of  the  Horses. 


were  quickly  overthrown,  their  warriors  killed  or  taken 
prisoners,  and  Pharaoh  found  himself  alone  with  his 
equerry,  Menni,  separated  from  those  of  his  troops 
that  still  resisted  by  a  number  of  the  enemy’s  chariots. 
When  Menni  saw  himself  surrounded  his  courage  failed, 
a  great  terror  seized  him,  and  he  said  to  Pharaoh : 
‘My  lord,  0  generous  king!  Egypt’s  great  protector 
in  the  day  of  battle  !  behold,  we  are  alone  in  the  midst 
of  the  enemy,  for  the  archers  and  chariots  have  left 
us.  Let  us  return,  that  our  lives  may  he  saved.  Save 
us,  0  my  lord,  Rameses  Miamun  !  ’  But  Pharaoh 


THE  BATTLE. 


181 


answered :  ‘  Take  courage,  strengthen  thine  heart,  0 
mine  equerry  !  I  will  go  amongst  them  like  the  hawk 
pounces  upon  his  prey ;  killing  and  massacring,  I  will 
lay  them  in  the  dust!  What,  therefore,  are  these 
wretches  in  thine  eyes  ?  Amen  has  delivered  them 
into  mine  hand.’  And  raising  his  voice  towards  the 
god,  he  continued :  ‘  I  invoke  thee,  0  my  father 
Amen  !  behold  me  in  the  midst  of  a  numerous  and 
strange  people ;  all  the  nations  are  united  against  me, 
and  I  am  alone ;  no  other  is  with  roe.  My  soldiers 
have  abandoned  me,  not  one  of  our  horsemen  have 
looked  towards  me,  and  when  I  called  to  them  not  one 
of  them  hearkened  unto  my  voice.  But  I  believe  that 
Amen  is  stronger  on  my  side  than  a  million  soldiers, 
than  a  hundred  thousand  horsemen,  than  a  myriad  of 
brothers  or  of  young  sons,  were  they  all  assembled 
here.  The  work  of  many  men  is  as  nothing;  Amen 
will  outweigh  them  all.  I  have  clone  all  things  ac¬ 
cording  to  thy  counsels,  0  Amen !  and  I  have  not 
disobeyed  thy  words.  Behold,  I  render  glory  unto 
thee,  even  to  the  extremities  of  the  earth!’  lie 
charged,  and  ‘his  hand  devoured  them  in  the  space 
of  ail  instant,’  and  they  said  one  to  the  other,  ‘This 
is  not  a  man  in  the  midst  of  us,  it  is  Sutekh,  the  great 
warrior ;  it  is  Baal  himself.  These  are  not  the  deeds 
of  a  man ;  alone,  quite  alone,  he  repulses  hundreds  of 
thousands,  without  captains  or  soldiers.  Let  us  make 
haste  and  flee  before  him ;  let  us  save  our  lives  that 
we  may  yet  breathe  upon  earth.’  Five  times  Pharaoh 
rushed  upon  them,  and  five  times  the  scarcely  broken 
ranks  closed  round  him ;  at  the  sixth  attack  he  suc¬ 
ceeded  in  breaking  the  circle  which  surrounded  him 
and  in  rejoining  his  army.  Pharaoh  does  not  usually 
engage  in  the  battles  which  are  fought  in  his  presence. 
He  watches  rather  than  fights,  and  his  generals  never 
allow  him  to  be  in  any  serious  danger.  On  this  occa¬ 
sion  Raineses  II.  fought  without  any  precautions,  like 
a  private  soldier.  He  encouraged  his  men  by  voice 


182 


THE  BATTLE. 


and  gesture,  himself  led  them  to  the  attack,  and  covered 
their  retreat  when  they  were  outnumbered.  He  loudly 
invoked  Amen  before  each  fresh  charge,  and  it  seemed 
as  though  Amen  covered  him  with  an  invisible  shield. 
Whilst  all  his  faithful  servants  fell,  one  after  the  other, 
his  chariot  was  intact,  and  he  remained  unwounded. 

The  unequal  combat  lasted  for  some  hours,  and  the 


Egyptians,  decimated,  dying  of  thirst  and  fatigue,  now 
only  thought  of  selling  their  lives  as  dearly  as  jaossible. 
Suddenly  a  loud  tumult  was  heard  at  the  rear  of  the 
enemy;  the  legion  of  Ptah  was  entering  the  field  (Fig. 
105).  The  officer  dispatched  in  search  of  it  had  found 
it  a  little  to  the  north-east  of  Kadesh  ;  it  hastened 
forward  in  good  order,  the  chariots  in  front  and  in  the 


THE  BATTLE. 


183 


rear,  the  foot  soldiers  in  a  deep  column.  The  Khita 
and  their  allies,  already  discouraged  by  their  struggle 
with  the  king’s  household,  did  not  wait  for  the  attack. 
The)’  turned  round,  and  retired  in  confusion  towards 
Kadesh.  A  -vigorous  charge  would  doubtless  have 
changed  their  retreat  into  a  rout,  but  the  Egyptian 
troops,  having  marched  or  fought  all  through  the  day, 
were  quite  exhausted,  and  retired  to  their  camp.  The 
legion  of  Sutekh  arrived  soon  afterwards ;  that  of  Phra 
only  joined  them  later  in  the  evening.  It  had  been 
surprised  by  a  sudden  attack  from  the  Asiatic  chariots, 
and  had  been  partly  overthrown.  But  the  soldiers 
who  composed  it  were  mostly  veterans  from  the  Syrian 
wars,  so  that  they  quickly  recovered  from  their  dismay, 
and  remained  masters  of  the  field  after  several  hours 
of  bloody  conflict.  Khitasir’s  plan,  well  arranged  and 
well  led  though  it  had  been,  had  failed  before  the 
indomitable  valour  of  Baineses  and  the  steadiness  of 
his  troops. 

Pharaoh  alights  from  his  chauot,  and  his  first 
thought  is  for  the  horses  who  have  so  gallantly  carried 
him  through  the  battle,  Victory -in- Thebes  and  Maut- un¬ 
satisfied.  Neither  the  horses  nor  the  lion  are  wounded, 
but  their  caparison  is  sullied  with  blood  and  dust,  the 
feathers  that  decorate  their  heads  are  in  shreds,  and  their 
collars  are  half  broken.  Bameses  caresses  them,  speaks 
to  them,  and  promises  them  a  place  of  honour  in  his 
stables,  unlimited  rations  of  forage,  and  superb  deco¬ 
rations  for  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  The  faithful 
animals  appear  to  understand  him,  and  raise  their 
heads  at  his  voice,  in  spite  of  their  fatigue.  He  then 
gives  orders  that  all  the  chiefs  of  the  army  should  be 
summoned.  They  hurry  to  his  presence  and  greet  him 
as  usual  as  they  approach  him :  ‘  Thou,  0  great 
warrior!  hast  saved  thine  army.  Son  of  the  god  Atmu 
and  the  work  of  his  hands,  thou  hast  destroyed  the  people 
of  Nhita  with  thy  powerful  scimitar !  Thou  art  the 
perfect  warrior,  and  there  is  no  king  that  fights  like 


184 


THE  BATTLE. 


thee  for  his  soldiers  in  the  day  of  battle  !  Thou  art 
the  bravest  of  heroes,  thou  art  foremost  in  the  conflict, 
and  dost  not  even  inquire  if  the  whole  world  be  united 
against  thee!  Thou  art  the  bravest  of  the  brave  before 
thine  army  and  before  the  whole  world!  No  one  can 
deny  it.  Thou  art  the  protector  of  Egypt  and  the 
chastisement  of  the  nations !  Thou  hast  broken  the 
power  of  the  Khita  for  ever !  ’ 

In  spite  of  their  flattery  the  generals  are  not  quite 
sure  that  Pharaoh  will  not  make  them  pay  dearly  for 
the  negligence  which  so  nearly  cost  him  his  life,  and 
his  first  words  are  not  calculated  to  disperse  their  fear. 
‘  What  a  crime  you  have  committed,  oh,  my  generals, 
my  foot  soldiers,  my  chariot  soldiers,  in  not  joining  in 
the  fight !  Is  not  a  man  honoured  by  his  country 
when  he  has  displayed  his  courage  by  the  side  of  his 
lord,  and  won  the  fame  of  a  warrior?  Yerily,  verily, 
a  man  is  valued  for  his  bravery.’ 

He  recalls  the  benefits  he  has  showered  upon  them, 
which  deserved  some  gratitude.  ‘Have  I  not  shown 
kindness  to  you  all,  that  you  should  leave  me  alone 
in  the  midst  of  the  enemy  ?  You  were  afraid  and  you 
are  still  alive;  you  still  breathe,  and  I,  through  your 
fault,  am  left  alone.  Could  you  not  say  in  your  hearts 
that  I  am  your  rampart  of  iron?  What  will  my  father, 
Amen-ra  of  Thebes,  say  when  he  knows  that  you  left 
me  alone,  unaided  ?  That  not  one  prince,  not  one 
officer  of  the  chariots  or  the  armies  was  ready  to  help 
me?’  However,  the  recollection  of  their  former  ex¬ 
ploits  softens  Pharaoh’s  anger,  and  secretly  he  is  not 
annoyed  at  having  had  this  opportunity  of  giving 
brilliant  proof  of  his  strength  and  valour.  He  consents 
to  forget  their  crime,  and  to  recall  the  names  of  those 
only  who  had  come  to  his  assistance  in  the  hour  of 
danger.  ‘  I  have  fought,  I  have  repulsed  millions  of 
nations  with  mine  own  hand.  Force-in- Thebes  and 
Maut-is-satisfied  were  my  great  horses,  they  were  under 
my  hand  when  I  was  alone  in  the  midst  of  the 


THE  BATTLE. 


186 


trembling  enemy.  Henceforth  their  food  shall  be 
given  them  before  me,  each  day,  when  I  am  in  my 
palace ;  for  I  found  them  when  I  was  in  the  midst  of 
the  enemy,  with  the  chief,  Menni,  mine  equerry,  and 
with  the  officers  of  my  household  who  accompany  me, 
and  who  are  my  witnesses  in  the  fight :  they  are  all 
that  I  found.  I  have  returned  victorious  from  the 
battle,  and  with  my  sword  have  I  smitten  the  assembled 
multitudes.’ 

It  wTas  a  success,  but  dearly  bought .  the  camp  sur¬ 
prised  and  partly  pillaged,  one-half  of  the  legion  of 
Amen  and  of  the  foreign  guard  destroyed  or  dispersed. 
The  enemy  repulsed,  but  only  repulsed  with  great 
difficulty,  and  ready  to  recommence  the  attack.  Raineses 
makes  his  arrangements  for  the  morrow.  The  legions 
of  Phra,  Ptah,  and  Sutekh  will  be  placed  in  the  same 
order  as  they  started  for  the  march  that  morning,  to 
the  left,  the  centre,  and  the  right ;  the  remnant  of  the 
legion  of  Amen  and  of  the  Shairetana  will  form  the 
reserve.  Khitasir,  on  his  side,  calls  up  the  regiments 
that  had  not  been  present  in  the  action,  and  draws 
them  up  in  front  of  Kadesh  (Fig.  106).  The  city 
originally  occupied  a  curve  which  the  river  formed  as 
it  issued  from  a  small  lake :  the  running  water  pro¬ 
tected  it  upon  three  sides ;  the  east  only  was  left  un¬ 
covered  by  th’s  natural  moat,  and  remained  exposed  to 
a  direct  attack.  One  of 
the  old  kings,  wishing 
to  render  the  city  invul¬ 
nerable,  pierced  the  strip 
of  land  that  joined  it  to 
the  plain  by  a  double 
canal  dug  from  the  lake  Fig.  106.— The  City  of  Kadesh. 
to  the  stream.  The  en¬ 
closure  now  forms  an  almost  perfect  circle.  The  wall, 
built  of  large  stones,  is  garnished  with  towrers ;  those 
which  defend  the  door  are  higher  than  the  others,  and 
are  more  solidly  constructed.  Kadesh  thus  forms  an 


18G 


THE  BATTLE. 


island  linked  to  tlie  mainland  by  two  bridges,  which, 
thrown  over  the  two  moats,  can  be  raised  or  lowered  at 
will.  Khitasir  has  still  four  thousand  chariots,  which 
he  marshals  at  some  little  distance  in  front  of  the  city, 
those  to  the  right  protected  by  the  stream,  those  to  the 
left  extending  over  the  plain  ;  he  leaves  his  infantry  in 
the  city  with  orders  to  remain  there,  unless  he  is  defeated, 
when  they  must  stop  the  pursuit  by  the  Egyptians. 

The  battle  commences  early  in  the  morning  by  a 
skirmish  between  the  archers,  but  they  have  scarcely 
had  time  to  exchange  a  few  arrows  when  Raineses  and 
Khitasir  order  them  to  scatter  and  to  make  way  for 
the  cavalry.  If  we  could  trust  appearances,  the  forces 
appear  unequal.  The  chariots  of  the  Khita — high, 
heavy,  containing  three  men  each — should  easily  bear 
down  the  light  Egyptian  chariots  and  upset  them  by 
their  weight  alone.  The  two  masses  first  started,  then, 
quickening  their  speed,  rushed  upon  each  other  at  full 
gallop,  with  a  heavy,  rolling  sound,  like  thunder.  The 
Egyptians,  trained  by  frequent  drill  to  move  together, 
advance  with  as  much  regularity  as  though  they  were 
still  on  parade  in  Thebes.  No  one  chariot  is  in  front 
of  the  others,  and  their  galloping  steeds  form  but  one 
unbroken  line  upon  the  ground.  The  warrior  has  tied 
the  reins  together,  and  has  passed  them  round  his 
waist ;  then  leaning  upon  them  to  right  or  left,  loosen¬ 
ing  the  pressure  by  bending  forward  or  tightening  it 
by  a  backward  step,  he  turns,  quickens,  or  stops  his 
horse  by  a  simple  movement  of  the  body.  His  bow  is 
strung  to  its  utmost  extent,  the  arrow  pointed  ready 
for  flight,  whilst  the  coachman,  holding  to  the  chariot 
with  one  hand,  with  the  other  protects  his  comrade 
with  the  shield  (Fig.  107).  The  Khita  are  less  skilful, 
and  do  not  keep  their  distances  so  well  after  the  first 
few  minutes’  galloping ;  the  line  wavers  and  curves  as 
they  advance  in  spite  of  their  efforts  to  keep  it  straight. 
Although  they  have  bows  like  their  adversaries,  they 
do  not  use  them  ;  the  majority  prefer  using  the  lance, 


THE  BATTLE.  187 

and  already  hold  it  half -couched,  ready  to  strike  as 
soon  as  they  close  with  the  enemy. 

Already  the  two  lines  are  within  two  horse-lengths 
of  each  other ;  a  short  order,  and  all  the  Egyptian 


Fig.  107. — Collision  of  the  Chariots.  The  Egyptians  are  to  the 
left,  the  Khita  to  the  right, 

arrows  fly  through  the  air  with  a  loud  whistle. 
Twenty  of  the  Khita  and  Dardanians  fall,  as  many 
horses  are  thrown  down  ;  the  disabled  chariots  fall 
back  upon  their  neighbours  and  upset.  A  second  dis¬ 
charge  brings  the  disorder  to  its  height ;  the  first  line 


188 


THE  BATTLE. 


of  the  allies  is  broken,  the  injured  chariots  are  dis¬ 
persed.  The  warriors  thrown  out  of  the  broken 
chariots  seize  a  horse,  cut  the  traces  that  attach  it  to 
the  pole,  mount  it  with  a  spring,  and  hurry  off. 
Ivhitasir  launches  a  second  division,  which  renews  the 
fight,  and  at  last,  closing  with  the  Egyptians,  inflicts 
heavy  losses  upon  them  and  •  penetrates  their  centre, 
driving  the  remnant  of  the  force  before  them.  At 
this  moment  Raineses  places  himself  at  the  head  of 
his  right  wing  and  rushes  upon  the  Khita,  who,  taken 
in  the  rear  by  the  king,  are  gradually  pressed  back 
into  the  river,  into  which  many  of  them  fall.  The 
conflict  rages  around  them.  Ivhitasir  sees  his  most 
devoted  servants  fall  one  after  the  other :  Tarakennas, 
leader  of  his  cavalry  ;  Agama,  captain  of  the  infantry  ; 
his  historiographer,  Khirapusar ;  Zaouazas,  prince  of 
Tonisa ;  his  own  brother,  Matsurama.  Pressed  from 
all  sides,  the  king  urges  his  chariot  towards  the 
water,  so  that  he  may  cross  the  lake  and  take  refuge 
beneath  the  walls  of  Kadesh.  A  great  many  of  his 
soldiers  who  follow  his  example  are  drawn  into  the 
current  and  drowned,  whilst  he  himself  is  landed  half 
dead  at  the  foot  of  the  ramparts.  Some  of  the  in¬ 
habitants  pick  him  up,  and  hold  him  upside  down  to 
make  him  disgorge  the  water  he  has  swallowed. 
However,  his  infantry  now  issue  from  the  town  and 
fall  upon  the  Egyptians  in  a  solid  mass  of  eight 
thousand  men.  This  intervention,  which  comes  too 
late  to  change  the  fate  of  the  day,  arrests  the  progress 
of  the  conquerors  and  saves  the  remnant  of  the  cavalry. 
The  struggle  of  yesterday  had  only  arrested  Ivhitasir’s 
march  ;  the  battle  of  to-day  has  disorganized  and  almost 
destroyed  his  army. 

The  king  realises  that  the  war  cannot  be  continued, 
and  the  same  evening  his  envoys  present  themselves 
before  Rameses  and  implore  his  mercy.  The  Egyptian 
camp  is  full  of  joy.  Since  the  cessation  of  the  strife 
the  soldiers  have  scattered  all  over  the  plain,  spoiling 


THE  BATTLE. 


189 


the  dead  and  collecting  booty.  The  Egyptian  does  not 
usually  decapitate  his  enemy ;  he  cuts  off  the  right 
hand  or  some  limb,  and  carries  it  to  the  scribes,  who 
inscribe  it  against  his  name.  Pharaoh  himself  deigns 
to  preside  in  his  chariot  over  the  registration  of  the 
hands  (Fig.  108).  The  Khita  messengers  find  him 
surrounded  by  the  bloody  trophies.  He  interrupts  his 
work  to  receive  them.  If  he  followed  his  secret  in¬ 
clinations  he  would  pi’olong  the  war  and  try  to  put  an 
end  to  the  resistance  of  the  obstinate  Khita  for  ever  ; 
but  he  is  not  sure  that  his  army  is  still  sufficiently 
large,  after  the  losses  it  has  borne,  to  be  able  to  hold 
the  field  for  long.  The  remnant  of  the  Khita  is  still 
formidable ;  Kadesh  is  strong  and  will  not  yield 


Fig.  108.— Registering  the  Hands  cut  from  the  Prisoners. 


without  a  long  siege.  During  this  time  Khitasir  is 
capable  of  assembling  a  new  army,  Southern  Syria 
may  revolt,  and  a  check,  even  if  insignificant  in  itself, 
will  compromise  the  results  of  the  success  already 
gained.  Raineses,  therefore,  resigns  himself  to  accept 
the  enemy’s  overtures  and  to  receive  the  letter  pre¬ 
sented  by  the  messengers.  It  is  from  Khitasir  himself 
and  couched  in  the  most  humble  terms.  ‘  This  is  to 
satisfy  the  heart  of  Pharaoh,  of  the  god  who  volun¬ 
tarily  diffuses  his  vivifying  influence,  of  the  lord,  the 
valorous  bull,  who  loves  the  truth,  of  the  supreme  king, 
who  protects  his  soldiers,  of  the  hero  with  the  in¬ 
vincible  sword,  the  bulwark  of  his  soldiers  in  the  day 
of  battle,  of  the  King  of  Upper  and  Lower  Egypt, 
Rauserma-sotepenra,  son  of  the  Sun,  Rameses  Miamun. 
Thy  servant  Khitasir  speaks  to  thee,  to  lay  before  thee 


190 


THE  BATTLE. 


that,  being1  thyself  the  son  of  Amen,  formed  of  his  sub¬ 
stance,  as  he  has  delivered  all  lands  unto  thee,  the  land 
of  Egypt  and  the  land  of  the  Khita  unite  to  lay  their 
services  at  thy  feet.  Ka,  thine  august  father,  has 
given  strength  and  victory  unto  thee;  deign  to  spare 
us,  thou  whose  souls  are  great !  Thy  valour  has 
weighed  heavily  upon  the  nation  of  the  Ivhita,  but  is 
it  good  for  thee  to  kill  thy  servants  P  Thou  art  their 
master ;  will  thy  face  be  always  angry  towards  us,  wilt 
thou  not  calm  thyself  ?  Yesterday  thou  hast  appeared 
and  thou  lias  killed  hundreds  cf  thousands ;  if  thou 
appear  to-day,  no  one  will  be  left  to  be  subject  unto 
thee.  Abandon  thy  designs,  oh,  victorious  king,  the 
genius  that  delights  in  battles.  Grant  to  us  the 
breath  of  life !  ’  Kameses  summons  his  council,  and 
communicates  to  it  the  message  received  from  the  king 
of  the  Khita  ;  his  generals  deliberate  as  a  matter  of 
form,  and  convinced,  like  himself,  of  the  necessity  of 
peace,  they  advise  him  to  be  magnanimous.  ‘  Behold, 
now,  this  is  excellent !  Deign  to  be  calmed,  O  sove¬ 
reign,  our  master !  If  mercy  be  not  extended  to 
Khitasir,  to  whom  should  it  be  granted  ?  He  adores 
thee ;  consent  then  to  calm  thy  wrath.’  On  the 
morrow  the  prayer  was  granted,  and  Kameses  tri¬ 
umphantly  commenced  his  journey  back  to  Egypt. 
It  was  less  a  peace  than  a  truce  ;  the  war  soon  re¬ 
commenced,  and  continued  with  variable  success  for 
sixteen  years  longer.  However,  as  Kameses  grew 
older  he  no  longer  accompanied  the  army  in  person ; 
whilst  his  generals  fought  for  him,  he  built  temples, 
founded  new  towns,  and  reconstructed  the  majority  of 
the  ancient  cities.  After  laborious  negotiations  peace  was 
at  last  concluded,  and  a  day  was  fixed  for  the  exchange 
of  the  silver  tablets,  upon  which  solemn  treaties  were 
usually  inscribed.  The  ceremony  took  place  upon  the 
21st  Tobi  at  Pa -Kameses  Miamun  in  the  Delta. 
Tartisabou,  the  messenger  of  the  Prince  of  Khita, 
solemnly  presented  to  Pharaoh  the  tablet  which  his 


THE  BATTLE. 


191 


master  bad  entrusted  to  liim,  and  received  one  bearing 
tbe  hieroglyphic  text  of  the  treaty.  This  text  recalled 
the  past  agreements  between  tbe  kings  of  Egypt  and 
tbe  princes  of  Kbita  in  tbe  time  of  Raineses  I.  and 
Seti  I.  It  contained  a  stipulation  that  peace  should 
be  eternal  between  tbe  two  peoples.  ‘  If  any  enemy 
march  against  tbe  countries  that  are  subject  to  the 
great  King  of  Egypt,  and  be  send  to  tbe  great  Prince 
of  Kbita,  saying,  “Come,  lead  tby  forces  against  them,” 
tbe  Prince  of  Kbita  will  obey  the  words  of  the  King  of 
Egypt,  and  will  destroy  his  enemies  ;  but  if  the  Prince 
of  Kbita  prefer  not  to  obey  in  person  be  will  send  archers 
and  chariots  from  tbe  land  of  Kbita  to  tbe  King  of  Egypt 
to  destroy  bis  enemies.’  A  similar  clause  secures  tbe 
Egyptian  support  for  tbe  Prince  of  Kbita  in  time  of 
need.  Tbe  following  articles  are  destined  to  protect 
tbe  commerce  and  industry  of  the  allied  nations,  and 
to  render  tbe  action  of  justice  secure  amongst  them. 
Every  criminal  that  should  attempt  to  evade  the  laws 
by  taking  refuge  in  tbe  neighbouring  country  should 
be  given  up  to  tbe  officials  of  bis  people  ;  every  fugi¬ 
tive  who  was  not  a  criminal,  every  subject  carried 
away  by  force,  every  workman  who  should  move  from 
one  territory  to  another  to  dwell  there  should  be  sent 
back  to  bis  people,  but  this  expatriation  should  not  be 
regarded  as  a  crime.  ‘  Tbe  man  who  is  thus  sent  away 
shall  not  be  considered  guilty  of  a  fault:  bis  bouse 
shall  not  be  destroyed,  nor  bis  wife,  nor  bis  children ; 
bis  mother  shall  not  be  killed  ;  be  shall  not  be  smitten 
in  tbe  eyes,  nor  in  tbe  mouth,  nor  in  the  feet ;  nor 
shall  any  criminal  accusation  be  brought  against  him.’ 
Tbe  articles  of  tbe  treaty  were  loyally  observed  on 
both  sides.  Rameses  married  Khitasir’s  daughter,  and 
tbe  latter  came  some  years  later  to  pay  a  friendly  visit 
to  bis  son-in-law.  Henceforth,  ‘  tbe  peoples  of  Egypt 
were  of  one  mind  with  the  princes  of  Kbita,  which  bad 
not  been  tbe  case  since  tbe  god  Ra.’ 

Rameses  lived  for  many  years  longer.  He  died 


192 


THE  BATTLE. 


in  the  sixty  -  seventh  year  of  his  reign,  sixty -two 
years  after  the  battle  of  Kadesh,  which  he  had  won 
by  his  personal  courage.  His  funeral  was  magnih- 


Fig.  109. — Rameses  IT.,  from  a  photograph  of  the  Corpse 
preserved  in  tlie  Boulak  Museum. 

cent,  and  Ins  mummy  reposed  in  the  tomb  which  he 
had  prepared  during  his  lifetime  in  the  Valley  of  the 
Kings.  It  could  not  rest  long  in  peace.  As  a  pre¬ 
caution  against  robbers,  it  was  transported  to  the  tomb 


THE  BATTLE. 


193 


of  Amenophis  I.,  where  it  remained  for  nearly  two 
centuries  with  the  great  Pharaohs  of  the  preceding 
dynasties,  Amasis  I.,  Thothines  I.,  his  grandfather, 
Pameses  I.,  his  father,  Seti  I.,  and  the  princesses  of 
their  family.  Thebes  declined  in  power,  a  king  of  the 
twenty-second  dynasty  wished  to  be  quit  of  the  accu¬ 
mulated  dead,  and  buried  them  pell-mell  in  a  corner  of 
the  mountain,  so  carefully  hidden  that  they  remained 
there  for  twenty-eight  centuries.  Towards  1871,  some 
fellahs  in  quest  of  antiquities  discovered  this  group  of 
Pharaohs,  which  they  regularly  exploited  for  ten  years, 
selling  a  scarabasus  here,  a  papyrus  there,  some  pieces 
of  stuff,  some  jewels,  funeral  statuettes,  all  the  property 
of  former  kings.  Everything  that  escaped  pillage  was 
in  1881  transported  to  the  Bordak  Museum,  and 
Rameses,  freed  from  his  bandages,  saw  the  light  of 
day  once  more  after  an  interval  of  more  than  three 
thousand  years.  Now  he  sleeps  his  last  sleep  in  a  hall 
in  the  museum  under  a  glass  case.  He  is  no  longer  in 
our  eyes  as  in  those  of  our  forefathers,  the  hero  of  a 
doubtful  legend,  or  still  less,  a  name  detached  from  a 
form,  floating  in  the  imagination  of  the  learned,  with¬ 
out  colour  or  outline.  He  is  tall  and  well  formed. 
His  head  is  long  and  small,  the  skull  hare ;  a  few 
tresses  of  white  hair  still  cling  round  the  temples  and 
the  nape  of  the  neck.  The  forehead  is  low  and  narrow, 
the  eyebrow  well  formed,  the  eye  small  and  close  to 
the  nose,  the  cheek-bone  prominent,  the  ear  round  and 
delicately  curved.  In  his  venerable  immobility  he  still 
retains  an  expression  of  pride,  of  sovereign  majesty. 
His  head  has  been  measured,  the  capacity  of  his  brain 
has  been  gauged,  an  inventory  has  been  taken  of  his 
funeral  wardrobe,  and  if  any  one  wishes  to  see  him  as  he 
appeared  at  the  time  of  his  death,  here  is  his  portrait 
(Fig.  109),  taken  from  a  photograph. 


14 


LIFE  IN  ANCIENT  ASSYRIA. 


CHAPTER  XL 

A  ROYAL  RESIDENCE  :  DUR-SARGINU. 

Sargon  wishes  to  found  a  city — Choice  of  a  site — The  gods  consulted 
— Laying  the  foundation — Brickmaking — Death  of  Sargon — Dur- 
Sarginu  abandoned  by  the  kings  —  The  outer  wall  —  The  gates: 
the  winged  bulls — Their  office  at  the  gates  of  the  city — The  streets, 
the  houses,  the  population — The  palace  and  its  storehouses — The 
harem — The  royal  apartment  and  its  decoration — The  priests  and 
their  position  in  the  State — The  Tower  of  the  Seven  Planets. 

In  the  twelfth  year  of  his  reign,  upon  a  favourable 
day,  Sargon,  the  great  king,  the  powerful  king,  king 
of  multitudes,  king  of  Assyria,  founded  a  city  and  a 
palace,  according  to  the  will  of  the  gods  and  the  desire 
of  his  heart.  In  the  royal  cities,  where  hitherto  the 
king  had  dwelt,  everything  too  vividly  recalled  the 
glory  of  the  sovereigns  who  had  preceded  him.  The 
inscriptions  related  in  detail  the  history  of  their  lives, 
the  bas-reliefs  depicted  their  hunting  exploits  and 
their  battles.  Tiglath-pileser  built  the  centre  of  the 
palace,  one  of  the  Shamshi-Rammanu  added  the  two 
wings,  Assur-nasir-pal  raised  the  many-storied  tower, 
and  Shalmaneser  restored  the  buildings  of  the  harem. 
Sargon  wished  for  a  city  which  should  belong  to  him 
only  ;  where  the  past  should  commence  with  his  reign. 

After  meditating  night  and  day,  and  carefully 
seeking  the  spot  most  suitable  for  his  project,  he  de- 


A  KOYAI.  RESIDENCE  :  DUR-SARGIXU. 


195 


cicled  upon  tlie  village  of  Magganoubba,  at  some  dis¬ 
tance  to  tlie  north-east  of  Nineveh,  situated  in  a  large 
plain  which  extends  from  the  banks  of  the  Kliosr  to 
the  mountains  of  Mousri.  Every  year  the  land  pro¬ 
duces  two  harvests,  so  that  it  is  called  the  Plain  of 
the  Double  Springtime.  One  of  the  streams  that  water 
it  contains  sulphur  and  has  remarkable  properties ; 
for,  though  in  other  parts  of  the  valley  of  the  Tigris 
the  natives  and  even  foreigners  are  tormented  by  an 
eruption  of  large  painful  spots,  which  last  for  a  year 
and  then  leave  an  indelible  scar,  those  persons  who 
drink  of  its  waters  either  escape  the  disease  or  are 
rapidly  cured.  The  site  has,  therefore,  great  natural 
advantages,  and  yet  the  three  hundred  and  fifty  princes 
who  have  suceedeed  each  other  upon  the  Assyrian 
throne  have  lived  near  it  for  centuries  without  think¬ 
ing  of  profiting  by  them.  Sargon,  better  advised, 
determined  to  dwell  there,  and  at  once  dispossessed  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  village.  Some  received  in  silver 
and  copper  the  sum  that  they  had  paid  for  their  fields, 
according  to  their  title-deeds  ;  others,  who  preferred 
land  to  metal,  received  in  exchange  for  their  patrimony 
a  territory  of  the  same  value.  It  was  necessary  to  con¬ 
duct  this  preliminary  operation  with  great  care  and 
justice,  so  that  there  should  be  no  cause  for  justifiable 
complaint :  if  but  one  of  the  former  owners  of  the  soil 
had  been  unjustly  treated,  his  maledictions  would  have 
brought  ill  luck  to  the  new  city. 

The  foundation  of  a  city  is  a  religious  act,  and  each 
detail  in  the  arrangements  is  marked  by  long  and 
complicated  rites.  It  does  not  suffice  to  trace  out  an 
enclosure,  to  plan  streets,  to  open  markets,  to  assemble 
haphazard  several  thousands  of  families :  if  the  founder 
wishes  that  his  work  should  last  and  prosper,  he  must 
draw  within  its  walls  not  only  a  human  population, 
but  a  divine  one,  too ;  he  must  invoke  a  number  of 
gods,  who  will  not  leave  the  town  and  will  undertake 
to  protect  the  inhabitants.  Sargon,  before  commencing 


196 


A  ROYAL  RESIDENCE  :  DUR-SARGINIT. 


his  enterprise,  devoutly  consulted  Hea,  the  king  of  the 
gods,  and  his  sister  Damkou.  lie  went  to  the  temple 
of  Ishtar,  queen  of  Nineveh,  and  in  the  sanctuary  itself 
he  implored  the  goddess  to  bless  his  scheme.  Ilis  re¬ 
quest  found  favour  in  her  eyes.  She  ordered  him  to 
commence  the  works,  and  relying  upon  the  promises  of 
the  divinity,  who  never  deceives  her  votaries,  he  im¬ 
mediately  assembled  his  labourers  and  collected  mate¬ 
rials  of  all  kinds.  The  city,  erected  upon  a  regular 
plan,  was  to  form  an  almost  perfect  square,  of  about 
seven  hundred  acres.  The  angles  exactly  corresponded 
with  the  four  points  of  heaven ;  the  sides  were  traced 
on  the  soil  by  means  of  a  banquette  twenty-five  yards 
wide,  built  of  slabs  of  calcareous  stone  hewn  from 
the  neighbouring  mountains.  To  sanctify  this  struc¬ 
ture  and  to  avert  evil  influences,  figurines  in  baked 
clay,  representing  the  great  gods  of  the  country, 
cylinders  covered  with  inscriptions,  and  amulets  of 
various  form,  were  placed  in  different  parts  of  it,  par¬ 
ticularly  in  the  openings  reserved  for  the  gateways. 
But  the  Assyrian  architects,  servile  pupils  of  the  old 
masters  of  Chaldea,  never  willingly  use  stone ;  as  soon 
as  the  wall  was  a  little  more  than  three  feet  high  they 
continued  the  work  in  bricks  up  to  the  top. 

The  bricks  destined  for  public  buildings  are  holy, 
and  can  be  made  only  at  certain  seasons.  They  are 
prepared  under  the  auspices  of  a  particular  god,  Sivan, 
lord  of  foundations,  and  only  during  the  month  to 
which  he  gave  his  name.  The  king,  therefore,  came 
during  the  first  days  of  Sivan  (May,  June),  and  en¬ 
camped  with  a  large  suite  in  the  plain  of  Magganoubba. 
An  altar  had  been  erected ;  he  lit  the  fire,  poured  a 
libation  into  the  consecrated  brass  vase,  killed  a  bull, 
and  with  uplifted  hands  he  prayed  that  Sivan  and  his 
father,  Bel,  the  architect  of  the  universe,  would  con¬ 
sent  to  direct  the  works  (Fig.  110).  The  clay  was 
then  taken,  freed  from  the  stones  which  it  contained, 
mixed  with  chopped  straw  and  water,  kneaded  by  the 


A  ROYAL  residence:  dur-sakginu. 


197 


feet,  moulded,  and  dried  in  tlie  sun.  The  brick  is 
nearly  a  square  of  about  thirteen  inches,  sometimes 
two,  sometimes  four  inches  thick ;  it  is  stamped  on  one 
side  with  the  name  and  titles  of  the  king  who  manu¬ 
factured  it.  Two  months  later,  in  Ab,  the  building 
commenced ;  it  lasted  six  years>  and  was  not  finished 
until  Sargon  returned  from  his  Armenian  campaign. 
The  king  did  not  long  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  being  at 
home  in  a  city  which  bore  his  name,  and  in  which 
every  detail  reminded  him  of  his  own  greatness.  Soon 
after  the  inauguration  of  the  city  he  wTas  assassinated 
at  the  instigation,  and  perhaps  by  the  hand,  of  his  son, 
Sennacherib.  Dur-Sarginu,'*  raised  by  a  whim  of  its 


founder  to  the  dignity  of  a  capital,  is  now  only  one  of 
the  numerous  residences  of  the  King  of  Assyria.  It 
might  usually  be  taken  for  a  dead  or,  at  all  events, 
a  sleeping  city,  with  deserted  streets,  almost  empty 
markets,  a  small  and  indolent  population.  Once  or  twice 
a  year  it  awakens :  its  palaces  are  opened,  its  thorough¬ 
fares  become  animated,  the  tumult  of  life  fills  it  once 
more.  Assurbanipal,  tired  of  the  noise  of  Nineveh,  has 
arrived  with  his  harem  and  his  whole  court. 

The  road  which  leads  to  Dur-Sarginu  crosses  the 
Khosr  when  it  leaves  Nineveh,  and  follows  the  left 
bank  of  the  river  pretty  closely.  It  is  a  good  stone 
road,  like  all  in  Assyria,  about  twelve  yards  wide, 
bordered  at  regular  intervals  with  stone  posts,  which 

*  Sarginu  is  the  correct  rendering  of  the  name  of  Sargon  ;  hut, 
except  in  the  name  of  the  citj,  I  have  retained  the  usual  form,  Sargon. 


198 


A  ROYAL  RESIDENCE:  DUR-SARGINF. 


mark  the  distances.  It  ends  after  many  turns  at  the 
gate  of  Ishtar,  to  the  south-west  side  of  the  city.  The 
defences  of  Dur-Sarginu  are  still  in  the  same  condition 
as  Sargon  left  them.  The  outer  wall  runs  across  the 
plain,  strengthened  every  twenty- seven  yards  by  square 
towers,  which  dominate  it  with  their  crenellated  tops, 
and  project  four  yards  beyond  the  curtain.  It  is 
twenty  yards  high,  and  the  roadway  at  the  top  is  so 


Fig.  111. — One  of  the  Gates  of  Dnr-Sarginu. 


wide  that  seven  chariots  can  gallop  abreast  without 
touching  each  other.  This  great  mass  of  building  is 
really  only  a  compact  block  of  earth.  The  bricks, 
whilst  still  damp,  are  laid  upon  beds  without  mortar 
or  cement  of  any  kind,  so  that  they  have  welded 
together  and  formed  a  substance  which  no  siege 
battery  can  possibly  injure  sufficiently  to  cause  a 
breach  and  lay  the  city  open  for  an  assault. 

There  are  eight  gates,  two  upon  each  side.  They 
open  between  two  towers,  which  only  leave  space  for 
the  entrance  itself.  Each  of  them  is  dedicated  to  one 


A  ROYAL  residence:  dur-sarginu. 


199 


of  the  gods  of  the  city  and  is  named  after  it — gate  of 
Bel,  gate  of  Beltis,  gate  of  Anu,  gate  of  Ishtar.  They 
are  covered  towards  the  country  by  a  small  castle, 
which  is  defended  at  each  angle  by  a  low  tower,  twelve 
yards  wide  (Fig.  111).  Five  of  them  are  large  enough 
to  admit  animals  as  well  as  men.  The  peasants  enter  by 
them  every  morning,  pushing  their  cattle  before  them 
or  driving  carts  heavily  loaded  with  vegetables  and 
fruit.  They  pass  through  the  first  building,  cross  a 
large  paved  court,  then  penetrate  between  the  two 


Fig.  112. — Transport  of  the  Bull. 


towers,  under  an  arched  gateway  forty-seven  yards 
long,  broken  at  almost  equal  intervals  by  two  trans¬ 
verse  galleries.  Eleven  steps  placed  in  front  of  the 
court  prevent  animals  and  carts  from  entering  it. 
Two  gigantic  bulls  with  human  heads  stand  at  the 
entrance  of  the  passage,  the  face  and  chest  turned 
towards  the  outside,  the  body  placed  against  the  inner 
wall;  they  seem  waiting  for  an  enemy,  and  are  accom¬ 
panied  by  two  winged  genii  half  concealed  behind  them. 
The  arch  which  separates  them,  and  which  is  supported 
by  their  mitres,  is  decorated  by  a  band  of  enamelled 
bricks,  upon  which  more  genii  facing  each  other  in  pairs 


200  A  ROYAL  RESIDENCE  :  DUR-SARG1NTJ. 

are  holding  fir  cones  ;  a  many-coloured  rosette  is  in  the 
centre. 

The  transport  and  placement  of  these  stone  mon¬ 
sters  proved  no  light  task.  The  blocks  were  quarried 
in  the  mountains  of  Kurdistan,  and  were  then  brought 
down  to  the  banks  of  the  Zab.  Here  they  were  roughly 
hewn  into  shape  so  as  to  lighten  the  weight,  then 


Fig.  113.— A  Winged  Bull. 

placed  upon  sledges,  drawn  by  squadrons  of  foreign 
prisoners,  who  afterwards  with  cords  and  levers  hoisted 
them  upon  their  stands,  where  the  sculptors  finished 
them  (F  'ig.  112).  They  are  now  the  mystic  guardians 
of  the  city,  which  ward  off  not  only  the  attacks  of 
men,  hut  the  invasion  of  evil  spirits  and  of  pernicious 
maladies  (Fig.  113).  Every  day  the  old  men  and 
idlers  of  the  vicinity  assemble  at  their  feet.  Standing. 


A  ROYAL  RESIDENCE  :  DUR-SARGINU. 


201 


crouching,  sitting  upon  the  benches  and  stools  they 
bring  with  them,  they  gossip  about  their  affairs  and 
regulate  the  destinies  of  the  State  without  any  fear  of 
being  disturbed.  During  the  winter  they  are  warm  in 
the  sunshine  of  the  front  court,  and  during  the  summer 
it  is  always  cool  under  the  arches.  The  judge  of  the 
district  sometimes  holds  a  sitting  and  gives  judgment 
there,  the  merchants  drive  their  bargains  and  discuss  their 
business,  whilst  the  politicians,  always  well  informed,  ex¬ 
change  the  last  news  from  abroad — that  the  Governor  of 
Egypt,  Psammetichus,  son  of  Xecho,  has  driven  an  As¬ 
syrian  garrison  out  of  Memphis,  or  that  the  Cimmerians 
have  burnt  Sardes  and  killed  Gyges  the-  Lydian. 

Dur-Sarginu,  through  being  built  all  at  once,  has 
none  of  the  irregularities  observed  in  older  cities.  The 
streets,  which  start  from  the  gates,  retain  in  every 
direction  the  width  of  the  roads  they  continue.  They 
are  paved  in  the  same  way,  have  side-ways,  or  foot¬ 
paths,  and  are  intersected  at  right  angles.  The  houses 
which  border  them  are  usually  one-storied.  The  door 
is  narrow  and  high  ;  it  seems  to  be  concealed  in  a 
corner  of  the  facade.  Scarcely  a  window  breaks  the 
unity  of  the  wall,  and  the 
terraced  roofs  are  sur¬ 
mounted  by  conical  domes, 
or  half-cupolas,  which 
open  inwards  (Fig.  114). 

Strangers  lodge  in  vast- 
inns,  situated  near  the 

ramparts.  There  is  no  r.  ,,,  .  .  TT 

,  1  i  ,  rig.  114. — Assyrian  Houses, 

outward  distinction  be¬ 
tween  them  and  the  private  houses.  The  traveller 


enters,  and  finds  himself  in  a  large  rectangular  court ; 
in  the  centre  is  a  well,  shaded  by  a  sycamore-tree  ;  all 
round  are  stories  of  small  rooms,  one  above  the  other, 
in  which  the  guests  spend  the  night,  and  some  large 
ones  which  are  used  for  stables  for  the  beasts  of  burden 
and  storehouses  for  the  merchandise. 


202 


A  ROYAL  RESIDENCE  :  DUR-SARGINU. 


Towards  the  centre  of  the  town  the  houses  become 
richer  and  more  beautiful,  the  traffic  increases,  luxu¬ 
rious  chariots  are  seen  amongst  the  crowd  of  pedestrians. 
The  common  people  and  the  burghers  are  of  many 
different  types,  of  various  origin  and  physiognomy. 
The  Assyrian  conquerors  are  great  movers  of  men. 
They  pride  themselves  upon  transplanting  nations  like 
trees,  and  upon  sending  the  tribes  from  the  North  to 
the  South,  from  the  East  to  the  West.  After  each  of 
their  campaigns  thousands  of  captives  are  exiled,  and 
go  to  colonise  some  distant  country,  of  which  the 
native  population  will  probably  fill  the  vacant  places 
in  their  own  land  on  the  morrow.  Sargon  filled  his 
city  with  people  gathered  from  the  four  quarters  of 
the  world,  from  mountains  and  plains,  from  cities  and 
deserts ;  then  he  set  over  them,  to  keep  them  all  in 
check,  a  handful  of  Assyrian  soldiers,  priests,  and  magis¬ 
trates.  Now,  after  sixty  years  have  passed,  the  de¬ 
scendants  of  these  forced  colonists  have  adopted  the 
language  and  customs  of  their  conquerors.  They  might 
he  taken  for  Assyrians  from  their  speech  and  dress, 
but  their  features  betray  their  foreign  extraction  ;  one 
still  retains  the  aquiline  profile  of  the  Hebrews  of 
Samaria,  another  has  the  fair  hair  and  blue  eyes  of  the 
Aryan  Modes,  a  third  displays  the  purest  Armenian 
type,  and  many,  who  have  sprung  from  mixed  mar¬ 
riages,  blend  the  characteristic  features  of  three  or  four 
distinct  races.  The  mixture  is  not  so  great  at  Nineveh, 
Assur,  Kalakh,  and  the  ancient  cities,  yet  it  exists  there, 
and  more  than  one  family  boasts  of  the  purity  of  its 
Assyrian  blood,  who  would  find  a  barbarian  prisoner 
amongst  their  ancestors  if  they  could  trace  their  gene¬ 
alogy  back  to  its  primitive  source. 

The  royal  palace  is  upon  the  north-east  side  of  the 
city,  half  within,  half  without  the  enclosure  (Fig.  115). 
Like  the  majority  of  important  civil  or  religious  edi¬ 
fices  it  is  erected  upon  an  esplanade  of  brickwork, 
formed  of  two  rectangles  joined  like  a  T,  a  hillock 


.  115. — The  Royal  Palace  of  Dur-Sarginu  (from  Perrot  and  Chipiez 


204 


A  ROYAL  RESIDENCE  :  DUR-SARGINU. 


built  by  tbe  labour  of  man,  which  raises  the  foot  of 
the  walls  far  above  the  surrounding  roofs.  It  is  acces¬ 
sible  from  the  city  only  ;  pedestrians  reach  it  by  a 
double  staircase  constructed  in  front  of  the  platform, 
horsemen  and  carriages  by  a  gently  sloping  ascent, 
which  commences  at  the  right  flank  of  the  building 
and  ends  on  the  east  side  of  it,  at  the  foot  of  high 
crenellated  white  walls.  The  king  dwells  there  as  in  a 
turret,  from  whence  he  can  see  the  whole  country,  and 


Fig.  116. — Triumphal  Gate  at  the  Entrance  to  the  Palace  (from  Place). 


which  he  could  defend  long  after  the  city  had  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Two  principal  gates 
correspond  with  the  two  ways  of  access  ;  the  one  to  the 
north-east  leads  directly  to  the  royal  apartments,  the 
other  is  turned  towards  the  city  and  overlooks  the 
double  staircase.  Two  high  masts,  surmounted  by  the 
royal  standard,  designate  the  entrance  ;  they  are  visible 
from  a  great  distance  (Fig.  116).  The  door  is  placed 
between  two  towers,  their  base  ornamented  by  winged 
bulls  and  human-headed  figures.  Two  still  larger  bulls 


A  ROYAL  RESIDENCE  :  DL’R-SARGINU. 


205 


stand  at  the  right  and  left  of  the  entrance,  a  band  of 
enamelled  bricks  defines  the  centre,  and  higher  up,  just 
below  the  battlements,  an  enamelled  picture  represents 
Sargon  in  all  his  glory.  This  triumphal  arch  is  reserved 
for  the  king’s  use  ;  two  lower  and  less  richly  decorated 
side-doors  admit  the  crowd. 

The  immense  court  into  which  they  open  is  still  a 
public  place,  which  tradesmen,  merchants  of  every 
kind,  supplicants,  and  even  mere  sightseers,  enter 
without  the  least  difficulty.  Thousands  of  persons  are 
attached  to  the  sovereign’s  household,  and  to  the  ad¬ 
ministration  of  his  business :  some  as  chamberlains, 
treasurers,  scribes,  eunuchs,  military  chiefs ;  others  as 
soldiers,  footmen,  and  cooks.  There  is  a  perpetual 
movement  of  detachments  relieving  guard,  couriers 
starting  or  arriving  with  their  dispatches,  officials  who 
are  going  to  an  audience  or  coming  from  it ;  files  of 
donkeys  bring  provisions;  morning  and  evening  hun¬ 
dreds  of  male  and  female  slaves  descend  in  procession 
to  draw  from  the  tributaries  of  the  Khosr  the  water 
required  for  such  an  immense  number  of  people.  The 
warehouses  fill  three  sides  of  the  court ;  here  cellars 
for  wine  and  oil,  there  stores  of  iron  weapons,  further 
on  the  room  for  copper,  and  one  for  the  precious  metals 
and  jewels;  the  king’s  treasury,  where  he  keeps  the 
spoil  of  the  vanquished  nations,  or  the  taxes  collected 
from  his  people.  The  kitchens  join  the  bakeries,  the 
horse  and  camel  stables  communicate  with  the  chariot 
house.  The  buildings  that  fill  the  southern  corner  a 
little  beyond  the  stables  are  occupied  by  the  servants 
of  the  palace  ;  each  family  inhabits  a  little  dark  room  ; 
they  are  dressed  and  fed  at  the  king’s  expense,  and  do 
all  the  menial  work  of  the  establishment.  A  small 
door  in  the  southern  angle  of  the  court  leads  to  the 
harem.  Assyrian  women  of  the  lower  classes  enjoy 
almost  unlimited  independence.  They  go  about  as 
they  like  through  the  streets  and  roads,  wearing  a 
long  dress  of  shaggy  material,  their  feet  bare,  their 


206 


A  ROYAL  RESIDENCE  :  DUR-SARGINU. 


head  and  face  uncovered.  They  frequent  the  markets, 
visit  their  friends,  attend  to  their  business,  and  are 
quite  unrestrained  in  their  actions  ;  they  can  dispose 
of  their  own  property,  inherit,  buy  and  sell  on  their 
own  account,  bear  witness  in  a  court  of  justice  ;  in 
short,  they  are  the  equals,  or  very  nearly  so,  of  their 
husbands.  Women  of  higher  rank  possess  the  same 
rights  in  the  eyes  of  the  law,  but  practically  they  have 
very  little  real  liberty.  All  the  luxury  and  all  the 
comfort  that  wealth  can  procure  they  have  or  they 


take,  but  they  must  remain  at  home ;  when  they  go 
out  they  are  surrounded  by  servants,  eunuchs,  or  pages, 
whose  close  ranks  prevent  them  from  seeing  much  of 
the  outer  world.  The  queens  are  completely  slaves  to 
their  dignity,  and  remain  almost  invisible  during  their 
whole  lives,  receiving  members  of  their  family  and  of 
the  household  only. 

When  Sargon  founded  his  city  he  had  three  legiti¬ 
mate  wives,  and  to  each  of  them  he  granted  a  distinct 
establishment ;  his  harem,  therefore,  contained  three 
compartments,  or  rather  three  houses.  The  lirst  is 
isolated  in  the  southern  angle  of  the  palace ;  the  two 


A  ROYAL  RESIDENCE  :  DUR-SARGIXU. 


207 


otters  communicate  with  a  square  court,  which  serves 
as  the  common  hall.  Two  benches  covered  with 
enamelled  bricks  run  the  whole  length  of  the  facade. 
Two  gilded  bronze  palm-trees  frame  the  opening ;  the 
palm,  as  we  know,  is  the  emblem  of  grace  and  fecun¬ 
dity,  so  that  no  subject  could  be  more  suitable  for 
the  decoration  of  a  harem  (Fig.  117).  The  internal 
arrangement  of  the  three  houses  is  precisely  similar : 
an  ante-room  wider  than  it  is  long,  a  drawing-room, 
of  which  one  half  is  unroofed,  the  other  half  is  covered 
with  a  semi-dome,  a  staircase  with  eleven  steps,  and 
the  bedroom  (Fig.  118).  The  walls  are  coated  with 
white  stucco,  and  bordered  with  a  black  plinth ;  the 
floor  is  flagged  or  carefully  bricked  ;  here  and  there 
mats,  carpets,  stools,  armchairs,  low  tables,  and  in  the 
alcove  a  wooden  bed,  raised  upon  feet,  with  its  mattress 
and  coverings. 

After  marriage  the  life  of  the  queens  is  passed  in 
this  prison  :  dress,  embroidery,  needlework,  and  house¬ 
keeping,  long  conversations  with  their  slaves,  the  ex¬ 
change  of  visits,  and  the  festivals,  with  dancing 
and  singing,  with  which  they  entertain  each  other, 
serve  for  occupation  and  amusement.  From  time  to 
time  the  king  passes  some  hours  amongst  them,  or 
invites  them  to  dine  wdth  him  and  amuse  themselves 
in  the  hanging  gardens  of  the  palace.  The  wdves  of 
the  princes  and  great  nobles  are  occasionally  admitted 
to  pay  homage  to  them,  but  very  rarely,  for  fear  they 
should  serve  as  intermediaries  between  the  recluses  and 
the  outer  world.  Yet  a  thousand  intrigues  are  carried 
on  beneath  this  apparently  monotonous  and  simple  life. 
The  wives,  who  divide  the  affection  of  one  man,  cannot 
feel  any  friendship  for  each  other.  The  least  mark  of 
interest  shown  by  the  master  to  either  of  them  is  a 
source  of  anxiety  to  the  others  ;  if  the  favour  increase, 
anxiety  becomes  jealousy,  and  jealousy  a  mortal  hatred. 
The  neglected  wives  forget  their  former  quarrels  and 
unite  against  the  favourite,  the  eunuchs  take  sides,  and 


208 


A  ROYAL  RESIDENCE  :  Dl’R-SARGINU. 


war  commences — a  war  of  artifice  and  treason,  wfiich 
ends  in  crime.  A  few  drops  of  poison  often  dispose  of 


Fig.  118. — A  Bedroom  in  the  Harem  at  Dur-Sarginu. 


a  rival  wlio  appears  to  exercise  too  much  influence  over 
the  sovereign. 

The  royal  dwelling  lies  on  the  other  side,  away 
from  the  harem  and  the  great  court.  It  faces  the 


A  KOVAL  RESIDENCE  :  DUR-SARGINU. 


209 


south-east,  towards  the  point  where  the  ascent  ends  on 
the  ramparts  of  the  city.  The  king,  without  leaving 
his  chariot  or  his  horse,  can  penetrate  to  the  very  door 
of  his  private  apartments.  He  alights  in  front  of  the 
monumental  entrance,  as  usual  guarded  by  a  squadron 
of  winged  bulls  in  painted  plaster,  crosses  the  threshold 
between  two  lines  of  motionless  sentinels  and  slaves, 
bowing  low,  their  arms  crossed  on  their  breast ;  passes 
through  a  yard  and  a  passage,  then  at  last  reaches  the 
court  of  honour  in  the  very  centre  of  the  palace.  He 
occupies  about  twenty  rather  small  rooms,  decorated  in 
a  very  simple  style,  where 
he  sleeps,  eats,  works,  re¬ 
ceives  visitors,  and  super¬ 
intends  the  majority  of 
current  affairs  under  the 
protection  of  his  eunuchs 
and  in  the  company  of  his 
secretaries.  The  other 
rooms  consist  of  state 
drawing-rooms,  all  alike, 
in  which  the  crowd  of 
courtiers  and  viziers  wait 
for  an  audience  or  for  the 
passage  of  the  master. 

A  shaded  lie-tit  falls  from 


Fie.  119. — The  King’s  Wheeled 
Throne  carried  by  two  men. 


above,  through  round 
windows  pierced  in  the 
arched  roofs.  Longhands 

of  bas-reliefs  in  plaster,  painted  in  bright  colours,  or¬ 
nament  the  w'alls  for  about  nine  feet  of  their  height. 
They  depict  scenes  from  the  life  of  the  founder  of  the 
city.  Sargon,  standing,  receives  one  of  his  ministers, 
who  offers  him  the  necessary  equipment  for  war  or  for 
a  journey.  Each  object  is  carried  by  an  eunuch  :  the 
cups  and  drinking-horns  ornamented  by  the  muzzle  of 
a  lion  ;  the  throne,  mounted  upon  two  wheels  and 
harnessed  like  a  chariot  (Fig.  119)  ;  the  armchair  ;  the 
15 


210 


A  KOVAL  RESIDENCE  :  DUR-SARG1XU. 


low  table,  intended  for  meals  and  sacrifices ;  the  war- 
chariot,  a  double  seat,  a  tripod,  and,  closing  the  proces¬ 
sion,  a  cup-bearer,  who  carries  the  metal  bowl  in  which 
he  rinses  the  master’s  cup  between  the  bumpers.  Fur¬ 
ther  on,  Sargon  is  hunting  the  gazelle  or  the  lion. 
Elsewhere  he  is  riding  at  the  head  of  his  army,  across 
the  plains  of  Syria  or  the  mountains  of  Armenia.  The 
artist  has  amused  himself  by  reproducing  the  details 
which  gives  to  each  country  its  special  physiognomy :  a 
mountain  is  covered  with  pines  and  cypress,  a  district 
is  planted  with  vines;  the  rivers  appear  to  open,  showing 
us  the  animals  they  contain — fish  of  various  kinds, 
shells,  tortoises,  crabs ;  even  the  eels  and  frogs  on  their 
banks  are  represented.  Formerly  the  sculptors  covered 
their  work  with  long  inscriptions,  which  passed  over 
the  bodies  of  the  persons  represented,  and  disfigured 
them.  The  new  school  is  less  prodigal  of  writing.  A 
few  short  phrases  still  explain  the  subject  of  the  picture 
and  the  details  of  each  scene,  but  long  texts  are  rele¬ 
gated  to  the  back  of  the  plaster  slabs,  and  are  turned 
to  the  wall.  The  Assyrian  monarchy  is  already  old 
enough  to  have  experienced  the  vicissitudes  to  which 
the  best  -  constructed  palaces  are  exposed.  How¬ 
ever  solid  the  work  may  be,  however  powerful  the 
dynasty  may  appear  to  be,  the  day  will  inevitably  come 
when  new  cities  and  new  royalties  will  displace  the 
ancient  ones.  When  Dur-Sarginu  is  abandoned, 
when  its  halls  are  empty  and  its  walls  crumbling,  the 
hidden  inscriptions  will  be  found  and  will  relate  their 
stories  to  posterity,  so  that  the  glory  of  Sargon  shall 
be  told  even  in  the  ruins  of  the  city  that  he  founded. 

The  gods  have  not  been  forgotten  ;  they  dwell  on 
the  north-east  of  the  platform,  near  the  palace. gardens, 
between  the  harem  and  the  king’s  house.  An 
irregular  building  has  been  reserved  for  them,  con¬ 
taining  the  same  kind  of  rooms  that  we  have  seen 
elsewhere,  with  white  walls,  black  plinths,  a  few 
frescoes  representing  arabesques,  animals,  or  symbolic 


A  ROYAL  RESIDENCE:  DT1R-SARG1NU. 


211 


genii.  There,  in  an  isolation  almost  as  complete  as 
that  of  the  women,  the  priests  and  sacred  slaves  pass 
their  time  in  studying  the  mysteries  and  celebrating 
the  ritual.  The  King  of  Assyria  is  not  the  direct 
descendant  of  a  god,  like  Pharaoh  of  Egypt;  he  is  a 
man  born  of  a  human  father,  and  in  all  the  annals  of 
his  genealogy,  to  the  remotest  generations,  he  will  find 
but  men  like  himself.  Nevertheless,  he  is  the  supreme 
head  of  the  national  religions  :  he  sacrifices  in  the 
name  of  the  people,  presides  at  the  solemn  festivals, 
alone  penetrates  into  the  sanctuary,  sees  the  gods  face 
to  face,  and  speaks  to  them.  He  never  undertakes 
anything  without  consulting  them,  never  enters  upon 
a  campaign  without  receiving  some  favourable  oracles 
encouraging  him  to  do  so  ;  he  first  deducts  for  them  one 
tithe  of  the  booty  taken  from  the  enemy,  and  he  even 
extends  to  their  priests  the  effects  of  the  gratitude  he 
vows  to  them  in  exchange  for  their  protection. 

However,  his  piety  does  not  blind  him  to  the  point 
of  allowing  the  priesthood  to  acquire  any  undue  influence 
in  the  affairs  of  the  State.  Pharaoh  has  been  seen  to 
bow  before  the  pontiffs  of  Theban  Amen,  and  to  for¬ 
cibly  dispute  the  crown  with  them,  hut  no  Assyrian 
monarch  ever  bent  the  head  before  the  clergy  of 
Shamash  or  Assur.  Yet  the  descendants  of  Sargon 
profess  a  special  devotion  for  the  Queen  Ishtar,  the  god¬ 
dess  of  Nineveh  and  Arbela  :  Esarhaddon  called  her 
his  mistress,  and  saw  her  in  the  battle-field  charging 
the  enemy  before  him.  Assurbanipal  invokes  her,  and 
invokes  no  other  god  in  the  most  solemn  circumstances  ; 
the  veneration  which  he  feels  for  her  enriches  her 
priests,  but  does  not  incline  him  to  allow  them  any 
share  in  the  government.  Thus,  whilst  in  Egypt  the 
temple  is  built  for  eternity  in  calcareous  stone,  in 
granite,  or  sculptured  sandstone,  and  the  palace  in 
light  materials  that  do  not  resist  the  action  of  time, 
in  Assyria  the  palace  is  greater  than  the  temple  in 
architectural  grandeur  and  beauty  of  decoration.  The 


212 


A  ROYAL  residence:  dur-sarginu. 


king,  liis  officers,  wives,  and  treasures,  occupy  more 
than  three-quarters  of  the  platform  ;  the  priests  are 
relegated  into  a  corner  as  it  were,  the  last  thought  in 
the  plans  for  the  royal  citadel.  The  priests,  but  not 
the  gods.  J  ust  as  the  crenellated  terraces  of  the  palace 
rise  far  above  the  pavement  of  the  city,  so  the  summit 
of  their  temple  uplifts  itself  still  higher  above  the 
battlements  of  the  palace.  An  ancient  story,  well 
known  to  all  the  dwellers  by  the  Euphrates,  and 
which  the  Hebrews  of  Jerusalem  have  recorded  in  their 
books,  relates  that  after  the  deluge,  in  which  humanity 
perished,  the  inhabitants  of  the  land  of  Shinar  said 
unto  each  other  :  ‘  Come,  let  us  make  bricks,  and  burn 
them  thoroughly.’  And  they  had  brick  for  stone,  and 
bitumen  for  mortar.  And  they  said :  ‘  Come  let  us 
build  a  city  and  a  tower,  whose  top  may  reach  unto 
heaven  ;  ’  but  the  gods  were  alarmed  at  their  audacity 
and  confounded  their  language,  so  that  they  were  dis¬ 
persed  over  the  whole  earth.  The  tower  was  never 
finished,  and  many  people  say  that  the  great  tower  of 
Bel  at  Babylon  is  a  fragment  of  it. 

The  first  Chaldean  architects  differed  from  the 
master-masons  of  Egypt  in  not  seeking  the  grandeur 
of  their  sanctuaries  in  the  development  of  horizontal 
lines ;  they  made  them  as  high  as  they  possibly  could 
without  risking  their  stability,  as  if  they  would  ascend 
to  heaven.  Their  ziggorat —  so  they  are  called — seen 
at  a  distance  recall  the  stepped  pyramids  near  Memphis ; 
they  are  really  storied  towers,  formed  of  cubed  bricks 
laid  one  above  the  other,  and  joined  by  an  ascent, 
which  winds  like  a  cornice  from  the  top  to  the  bottom 
of  the  edifice.  The  tower  of  Dur-Sarginu  rises  forty- 
five  yards  above  the  esplanade  (Fig.  120).  It  has  seven 
stories,  consecrated  to  the  divinities  of  the  seven  planets, 
each  painted  with  the  colour  of  its  deity — the  first  in 
white,  the  second  in  black,  the  third  in  purple,  the 
fourth  in  blue,  the  fifth  in  vermilion,  the  sixth  in  silver 
colour,  the  last  gilded.  It  is  massive,  and  contains  no 


A  ROYAL  residence:  DUR-SARGINU. 


213 


hall ;  but  the  upper  platform  supports  a  small  cupola 
covered  with  plates  of  gold :  two  stone  altars,  a  statue 
of  Ishtar,  a  bed,  and  the  implements  for  the  sacrifices, 
form  the  whole  furniture  of  this  miniature  chapel. 
This  is  the  room  of  the  goddess,  which  the  priests  and 


Fig.  120. — Tlie  Tower  of  the  Seven  Planets  at  Dur-Sarginu 
(after  Place). 

the  king  only  may  enter  without  committing  sacrilege. 
Her  spirit  is  here  attached  to  the  statue  like  the  doubles 
of  the  Egyptian  idols;*  from  hence  she  watches  over 
the  people  that  live  at  her  feet,  foretells  the  calamities 
which  threaten  them,  and  teaches  them  by  the  voice 
of  her  prophets  how  to  weaken,  if  not  to  avert,  the 

*  For  an  explanation  of  the  double,  see  p.  43  and  following  of  this 
volume. 


214 


A  ROYAL  RESIDENCE  :  DTJR-SARGIXU. 


impending  evil.  Every  morning  the  gilding  of  the 
chapel  and  of  the  upper  story  is  illumined  by  the  rays 
of  the  sun,  and  resembles  a  fire  which  all  day  burns 
between  heaven  and  earth,  and  which  marks  the 
position  of  the  city  a  long  distance  off.  The  weary 
traveller  salutes  it  as  soon  as  he  catches  sight  of 
it,  and  quickens  the  speed  of  his  horses  in  his  impa¬ 
tience  to  arrive ;  when  he  resumes  his  journey  the 
reflection  accompanies  him,  and  seems  to  brighten 
his  way  long  after  the  tumult  of  the  city  has  died 
away,  and  the  palace  buildings  have  faded  into  the 
distant  horizon. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


PRIVATE  LIFE  OF  AN  ASSYRIAN. 

The  boats  on  the  Tigris — Pangeis  and  annoyances  of  commerce  — 
A  merchant’s  house:  the  terraces,  furniture,  food  —  Protective 
amulets — Exorcism  for  the  safety  of  the  family  and  house  — 
Purchase  of  an  estate — Drawing  up  and  signing  the  deed  of  sale  — 
Marriage  by  auction — An  offer  of  marriage — The  contract  and  the 
wedding  festivities — The  vutues  of  a  good  wife. 

The  merchant  Iddina  has  returned  from  Babylon, 
where  he  had  gone  on  business.  He  trades  between 
that  city  and  the  Aa'iri,*  and  is  therefore  continually 
travelling.  Every  year  he  buys  the  produce  of 
certain  vineyards  lying  towards  Amidi,  and  per¬ 
sonally  superintends  the  construction  of  the  boats 
in  which  he  carries  the  wine.  Their  form  is  very 
curious.  They  are  round  baskets  made  of  osiers  or 
willows,  covered  with  skins  sewn  together.  Some  of 
them  are  very  large,  and  can  carry  a  weight  of  five 
thousand  talents,  f  A  layer  of  straw  is  placed  at  the 
bottom,  upon  which  the  jars  of  wine  are  carefully 
packed,  then  more  straw  is  laid  over  them.  The  crew 
always  includes  at  least  two  rowers  and  one  or  more 
asses.  At  the  end  of  the  journey  the  merchant  sells 
the  straw  and  wine,  then  dismantles  the  boat,  which 
cannot  be  taken  to  Nairi  by  the  Tigris  on  account  of 
the  rapidity  of  the  current,  sells  the  baskets  for  what 

*  The  Nairi  is  the  country  in  the  upper  basin  of  the  Tigris  between 
the  lake  of  Van  and  the  Euphrates. 

t  About  260,000  pounds  in  round  numbers. 


216 


PRIVATE  LIFE  OF  AN  ASSYRIAN. 


lie  can  get,  loads  the  asses  with  the  skins,  and  returns 
to  his  home  by  land. 

This  commerce  is  attended  by  many  dangers.  The 
Tigris  is  in  many  places  a  capricious,  violent  torrent. 
More  than  one  boat,  drawn  into  an  unexpected  eddy, 
founders  with  all  its  cargo,  or  is  thrown  upon  the  bank 
and  so  much  damaged  that  the  owners  are  obliged  to 
rebuild  it.  The  inhabitants  of  the  river  banks  are 
usually  robbers  and  unreliable  guides ;  they  stop  and 
pillage  the  voyagers,  or  force  them  to  buy  a  free 
passage  by  presents.  Lastly,  the  Assyrian  governors 
and  Babylonian  officials  are  greedy,  unscrupulous  men, 
who  must  be  conciliated  by  gifts  in  kind  or  money, 
and  a  large  portion  of  the  merchandise  remains  in 
their  hands.  All  this  diminishes  the  merchant’s  grains 
and  increases  his  risk  ;  yet  the  profits  are  so  large  that 
a  great  many  men  devote  themselves  to  the  river  trade, 
and  enrich  themselves  by  it.  Besides,  the  roads  are  no 
better,  and  if  men  wait  until  there  is  complete  safety 
in  this  world  before  they  attempt  any  commerce,  they 
may  remain  at  home  all  their  lives  and  never  be  able 
to  start.  There  is  perfect  security  for  travellers  in 
Assyria  itself,  from  Nineveh  to  Arbela,  or  from  Arbela 
to  Kalakh  and  El  Assur.  The  kings  insist  upon  the 
police  being  implacably  severe,  and,  except  in  civil 
war,  a  man  may  travel  alone  without  fear  of  robbers. 
But  as  soon  as  he  gets  beyond  the  centre  of  the  empire 
the  security  diminishes,  and  the  merchants  dare  only 
venture  in  caravans  across  the  Syrian  provinces  or 
foreign  lands ;  and  even  the  strongest  parties  are  not 
safe  from  a  disaster.  Not  only  the  nomads  and  pro¬ 
fessional  bandits  are  always  roaming  round  them,  and 
force  them  to  exercise  perpetual  watchfulness,  but  the 
inhabitants  of  the  villages,  the  small  local  nobility — 
even  the  kings,  not  content  with  the  regular  tolls, 
which  they  can  legally  exact  on  the  road — have  no 
scruples  about  attacking  them  on  the  way.  The 
merchandise  is  divided  amongst  the  pillagers,  or  goes 


PRIVATE  LIFE  OF  AN  ASSYRIAN. 


217 


to  enrich  the  royal  treasury ;  the  men  are  massacred  or 
sold  as  slaves.  The  merchant  perpetually  sways  be¬ 
tween  wealth,  slavery,  or  death. 

Iddina’s  house  stands  at  a  short  distance  from  the 
gate  of  Ishtar.  It  is  larger  and  higher  than  the 
neighbouring  houses,  hut  there  is  no  other  external 
difference  between  them.  It  opens  upon  the  street 
by  a  small  arched  gateway,  followed  by  a  dark,  narrow 
passage,  which  passes  through  the  thickness  of  the 
buildings  and  opens  upon  a  large  court,  round 
which  the  rooms  are  arranged.  A  kind  of  verandah 
extends  all  round ;  posts  planted  in  the  earth  support 
a  light  awning,  which  is  fastened  to  the  wall.  The 
rooms  are  narrow,  oblong ;  a  few  are  arched,  a  few 
others  covered  with  a  flat  ceiling  supported  by  the 
trunks  of  palm-trees.  The  majority  of  them  are  store¬ 
houses  for  the  provisions  and  household  wealth ;  a 
small  number  only  are  inhabited.  They  are  all  sur¬ 
mounted  by  a  terrace,  which  is  reached  by  a  steep 
brick  staircase ;  from  it  there  is  a  view  over  the  sur¬ 
rounding  houses.  The  Assyrian  women  spend  a  good 
deal  of  time  upon  the  roofs.  They  remain  there  all 
the  morning  until  driven  away  by 
the  noonday  heat,  and  they  go 
back  as  soon  as  the  sun  declines 
in  the  horizon.  There  they  per¬ 
form  all  their  household  duties, 
chatting  from  one  terrace  to  the 
other.  They  knead  the  bread,  pre¬ 
pare  the  cooking,  wash  the  linen, 
and  hang  it  out  to  dry ;  or  if  they 
have  slaves  to  relieve  them  from 
these  menial  labours  (Fig.  121), 
theyinstal  themselves  upon  cushions 
and  chat  or  embroider  in  the  open 
air.  During1  the  hottest  hours  of 


Fig.  121. 

A  Slave  kneading  Dough. 


the  day  they  descend  and  take  refuge  indoors.  The 
coolest  room  in  the  house  is  often  below  the  level  of 


218 


PRIVATE  RIFE  OF  AN  ASSYRIAN. 


tlie  courtyard,  and  receives  very  little  light.  The  floor 
is  paved  with  slabs  of  polished  plaster  of  Paris,  which 
resemble  a  fine  grey  and  white  marble,  and  the  walls 
are  covered  with  a  layer  of  fine  plaster,  soft  to  both 
eye  and  touch.  They  are  watered  several  times  a-day 
during  the  summer,  and  the  water  refreshes  the  air  as 
it  evaporates. 

The  furniture  is  very  simple,  even  amongst  the  rich 
burghers.  It  is  chiefly  composed  of  chairs  and  stools 
of  various  forms,  mounted  some  upon  straight  feet, 
others  upon  crossed  legs.  As  a  rule,  the  household 
sleep  upon  mats,  but  the  master’s  and  mistress’s  rooms 
contain  wooden  bedsteads  raised  upon  four  lion’s  feet, 
with  a  mattress  and  two  coverings.*  A  baking  oven  is 
built  in  one  corner  of  the  court,  skins  of  wine  and  jars 
full  of  water  hang  to  cool  from  the  lintels  of  the  porch, 
a  fireplace  in  the  open  air  supports  a  large  saucepan, 
in  which  a  joint  of  meat  is  boiling.  The  Assyrians 
eat  a  good  deal  and  drink  still  more.  The  poor  are 
forced  to  content  themselves  with  a  little  bread,  a  few 
vegetables  prepared  with  salt  and  oil,  and  the  fish 
which  swarm  in  the  river.  The  rich  have  as  varied 
and  abundant  food  as  the  Egyptian  nobles.  They 
repose  upon  beds  of  ivory  or  valuable  wood  as  they 
dine,  and  scent  themselves  profusely  before  commenc¬ 
ing  their  repast.  The  men  and  women  are  served 
separately  in  solemn  banquets,  but  in  every-day  life 
they  meet  round  the  same  table,  or  rather  round  the 
same  dish. 

Amulets  are  placed  on  every  side,  in  every  corner 
of  the  house  ;  they  are  intended  to  protect  the  inhabi¬ 
tants  from  the  evil  eye  and  evil  spirits.  The  Assyrians 
believe  that  the  world  is  full  of  demons,  eternally 
occupied  in  laying  snares  for  men.  They  are  rarely,  if 
ever,  seen,  yet  they  are  continually  felt  in  the  air, 
upon  earth,  at  the  bottom  of  the  waters ;  they  are  as 
numerous  as  the  motes  of  dust  which  dance  in  a  sun- 
*  Compare,  for  the  picture  of  a  bed,  Fig.  118,  p.  208. 


PRIVATE  LIFE  OF  AN  ASSYRIAN. 


219 


beam.  They  cannot  be  warded  off  except  by  incanta¬ 
tions  and  talismans.  The  surest  method  of  getting  rid  of 
them  is  to  place  in  a  very  prominent  position  a  statuette 
which  represents  them ;  then  an  incantation  is  recited 
or  graven  upon  this  portrait  of  themselves,  which 
keeps  them  at  a  distance.  The  figures  of  one  of  the 
most  formidable  demons,  the  South-west  \\  ind,  which 


by  its  inflamed  breath 
dries  up  the  harvests 
and  consumes  men  and 
animals  with  fever,  are 
therefore  hung  above  all 
the  doors  and  upon  the 
terraces.  Iddina  pos¬ 
sesses  them  of  every  size 
and  every  material,  in 
bronze,  red  j  asper,  yellow 
stone,  and  baked  earth. 
The  demon  possesses  a 
dog’s  body,  standing  upon 
eagle’s  legs,  arms  fur¬ 
nished  with  lion’s  claws, 
a  scorpion’s  tail,  two  pairs 
of  wings,  and  an  ema¬ 
ciated  human  head  with 
goat’s  horns.  He  is  so 
ugly  that  the  mere  sight 
of  his  own  image  drives 
him  away  (Fig.  122). 
Other  images  of  the  same 


Fig  122. — The  South-west  Wind :  a 
bronze  statuette. 


kind  are  buried  beneath  the  stones  of  the  threshold,  so 
as  to  bar  the  entrance  to  all  destructive  spirits.  As  a 
rule,  they  bear  the  head  of  a  different  animal,  and  their 
form  is  unknown  to  our  world.  Many  of  them  are 
only  the  national  gods,  who  are  obliged  by  a  formula 
to  keep  guard  over  a  private  individual :  Bel,  wearing 
his  tiara  and  horns  ;  Nergal,  with  his  lion’s  muzzle ; 
Nebo,  Merodach,  and  Ishtar. 


220 


PRIVATE  LIFE  OF  AN  ASSYRIAN. 


We  see,  then,  that  a  divine  army  is  needed  to 
combat  the  evil  spirits  which  menace  our  poor  humanity. 

‘  They  are  the  creation  of  hell,  the  great  worms  which 
heave  n  has  let  loose  upon  the  earth,  the  terrible  ones, 
whose  bowlings  break  forth  in  all  parts  of  the  city, 
who  fall  amongst  the  waters  of  heaven,  the  sons  that 
issued  from  the  bosom  of  the  earth.  They  roll  round 
the  high  beams,  the  large  beams,  like  a  crown.  They 
pass  from  house  to  house,  for  the  door  cannot  shut 
them  out,  no  bolt  can  prevent  them  from  entering ; 
they  glide  like  serpents  beneath  the  door,  and  creep 
through  the  joints  of  the  hinges  like  a  puff  of  wind. 
They  estrange  the  wife  from  the  arms  of  her  husband, 
drive  the  free  man  from  the  house  in  which  he  w’as 
born,  and  inspire  the  threatening  voice  which  pursues 
him  from  behind.’*  The  gods  charged  to  repulse  them 
have  each  their  special  post,  where  they  wait  to  fight 
them.  Nergal  is  on  the  top  of  the  wall  and  beneath 
the  threshold ;  Ilea  and  Merodaeh  are  in  the  passage, 
to  the  right  and  left  of  the  gate ;  Naroudi  is  in  the 
earth  near  the  bed.  Since  all  labour  merits  some 
reward,  food  and  cups  full  of  liquid  are  offered  to  these 
guardians  night  and  morning,  and  they  are  invited  to 
regale  themselves.  ‘Oh,  you,  the  sublime  ones,  children 
of  Idea,  eat  and  drink  well,  so  that  ye  may  keep  watch 
that  no  evil  can  penetrate  amongst  us.’ 

Iddina,  upon  his  return  home  from  a  long  voyage, 
rapidly  repeats  a  formula  which  should  ward  off  from 
his  home  anything  fatal  he  may  have  brought  with 
him.  ‘  The  pestilence  and  fever  which  might  carry  off 
my  people  ;  disease,  consumption,  which  might  devastate 
my  land,  injurious  to  the  flesh,  destructive  to  the  body; 
the  evil  incubus,  the  evil  spirit,  the  evil  imp,  the  evil 
man,  the  evil  eye,  the  slanderous  mouth,  the  slanderous 
tongue,  may  they  be  driven  away  from  the  man,  the 

*  This  allu-ion  is  either  to  the  voices  sometimes  heard  in  the  night, 
or  to  effects  of  the  voice  c£  the  magician  which  unceasingly  pursui  s 
the  man  against  whom  an  incantation  has  been  directed. 


PRIVATE  LIFE  OF  AN  ASSYRIAN. 


221 


son  of  liis  god,  may  they  be  driven  from  his  body,  from 
his  bowels.  May  they  never  come  near  my  body,  never 
wound  my  eye,  never  come  behind  my  back ;  may  they 
never  enter  my  bouse,  never  cross  the  beams  of  my 
roof,  never  descend  into  my  dwelling.  Double*  of 
heaven,  conjure  them!  Double  of  the  earth,  conjure 
them !  ’ 

As  soon  as  Iddina  has  placed  bis  asses  in  the  stables 
and  seen  the  bales  of  merchandise  carried  into  the 
storehouses,  bis  wife,  Noubta,  tells  him  everything 
that  has  happened  during  bis  absence — the  conduct  of 
the  servants,  the  quantity  of  materials  that  they  have 
woven  and  dyed.  ‘  The  weaver,  Mousidnou,  has  come 
to  borrow  five-sixths  of  a  mana  of  silver,  which  our 
son,  Zamamanadin,  has  lent  him,  and  which  he  will  re¬ 
pay  in  a  year ;  the  interest  is  so  calculated  that  it  will 
double  the  capital  in  the  time.’  Iddina  expresses  his 
satisfaction  with  the  investment  his  son  has  made. 
Zamamanadin  is  more  than  twenty  years  old ;  he  is 
strong,  elegant,  well  educated,  and  begins  to  manage 
the  business  almost  as  well  as  his  father.  For  the  last 
two  years  Iddina  has  confided  to  him  the  management 
of  his  fortune  whilst  he  is  absent  on  his  journeys  to 
Nairi,  and  Zamamanadin  has  already  brought  more 
than  one  delicate  transaction  to  a  successful  issue. 
Now  he  is  thinking  of  marriage,  and  wishes  to  acquire 
an  estate  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Dur-Sarginu,  capable 
of  producing  an  income  that,  joined  to  the  share  of 
profits  allowed  to  him  by  his  father,  will  enable  him  to 
maintain  a  family.  He  thinks  that  he  has  found  a 
place  likely  to  suit  him,  and  the  owner  is  not  too 
exacting;  it  lies  just  beyond  the  Ivhosr,  almost  half¬ 
way  from  the  village  of  Sa'iri.  The  land  is  fairly  ex¬ 
tensive  ;  it  takes  thirty-five  measures  of  wheat  to  sow 
it,  they  say,  and  it  will  be  easy  to  verify  the  amount. 
It  is  good  corn  land,  which  has  belonged  to  Nabouirib 

*  Double  is  here  taken  in  the  sense  it  has  above,  page  43  of  this 
volume. 


222 


PRIVATE  LIFE  OF  AN  ASSYRIAN. 


for  a  long  time;  but  he  is  thinking  of  selling  it  because 
he  is  now  too  old  to  cultivate  it  himself,  and  all  his 
relations  are  engaged  in  the  town  in  more  lucrative 
pursuits  than  that  of  a  labourer.  He  first  asked  seven 
mana  for  it,  but  he  soon  lowered  his  price,  and  Zama- 
manadin  hopes  to  obtain  it  for  five.  Iddina  carefully 
notes  down  this  information,  and  promises  to  conclude 
the  bargain  himself  as  soon  as  he  has  settled  his  own 
business.  He  was  lucky  enough  to  obtain  at  a  reduced 
price,  in  the  market  of  Babylon,  several  bales  of  wool 
dyed  in  Tyrian  purple,  which  a  Sidonian  merchant, 
who  was  anxious  to  return  home,  desired  to  get  rid  of 
at  any  sacrifice.  It  is  a  material  of  incomparably  fine 
texture  and  of  great  beauty,  and  if  the  chief  of  the 
eunuchs  would  but  mention  it  to  the  queen  they  might 
sell  it  for  three  times  its  value,  including  the  expenses 
of  delivery  at  Dur-Sarginu.  Half  the  price  should  be 
for  Zamamanadin,  and  it  would  amply  suffice  for  the 
purchase  of  the  wished-for  estate. 

The  chief  of  the  eunuchs,  pi’epossessed  in  favour 
of  the  Tyrian  purple  by  the  gift  of  an  amulet  finely 
engraved  with  Hea,  the  fish-god,  between  two  wor¬ 
shippers,  managed  so  well  that  the  queen  at  once 
bought  all  the  bales.  The  day  after  the  sale  Iddina 
went  to  Sairi  to  examine  the  estate  for  his  son.  The 
aspect  is  good,  the  land  excellent.  A  stream  crosses  it 
and  divides  it  into  two  unequal  parts  ;  the  smaller 
could  be  easily  converted  into  a  vegetable  garden — one 
or  two  water-swings  placed  upon  the  bank  would 
supply  the  water  necessary  for  market  gardening.  The 
matter  drags  a  little  for  some  days,  then  the  sale  is 
arranged  after  much  bargaining  and  some  mutual  con¬ 
cessions  ;  the  pi’ice  is  five  manas,  and  a  day  is  fixed 
for  sealing  the  contract  before  Judge  Nabousakin.  On 
the  twenty-fifth  of  Tebet,  in  the  morning,  the  two  con¬ 
tracting  parties  meet  at  the  gate  of  Ishtar,  each  accom¬ 
panied  by  a  scribe  and  some  witnesses  (Fig.  123).  The 
title  of  scribe  is  not  so  common  in  Assyria  as  it  is  in 


Fig.  123. — A  Scribe,  from  the  figure  restored  by  M.  Heuzey 
in  the  Exhibition  of  1889. 


224 


FRIVATE  LIFE  OF  AN  ASSYRIAN. 


Egypt ;  the  officers,  nobles,  and  officials  of  high  rank 
disdain  it,  and  leave  it  to  the  professional  writers  who 
draw  up  documents  for  the  administration  and  con¬ 
tracts  between  private  individuals.  The  scribes  are 
provided  with  several  tablets  of  baked  clay,  still  soft 
enough  to  take  an  impression,  yet  hard  enough  for  it 
not  to  be  easily  defaced  or  lost  once  it  has  been  made. 
Each  scribe  takes  one  of  them,  which  he  lays  flat  in 
the  palm  of  his  left  hand,  and  taking  in  his  right  hand 
a  triangular  stylus,  its  point  cut  like  a  bezel,  com¬ 
mences  to  write.  The  marks  obtained  by  gently 
pressing  the  instrument  upon  the  clay  resemble  a 
corner,*  or  a  metal  nail.  The  scribe  commences  on 
the  left  below  the  upper  edge  of  the  tablet,  and  soon 
covers  both  sides  of  it  with  remarkable  dexterity.  The 
two  scribes  engaged  by  the  contracting  parties  and  the 
one  belonging  to  the  judge  write  the  formulas  at  the 
same  time,  for  every  public  deed  must  be  drawn  out  at 
least  three  times.  Formerly  two  copies  only  were 
made,  and  they  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  two 
contracting  parties;  but  sometimes  it  happened  that 
skilful  but  dishonest  people  altered  the  writing  to  their 
own  advantage.  The  Chaldeans  invented  an  ingenious 
method  of  preventing  frauds  of  this  kind.  The  tablet, 
once  sealed,  they  covered  it  with  a  second  layer  of  clay, 
upon  which  they  traced  an  exact  copy  of  the  original 
deed.  The  latter  became  inaccessible  to  the  forgers, 
and  if  a  dispute  arose  and  some  alteration  was  sus¬ 
pected  in  the  visible  text,  the  case  tablet  was  broken 
before  witnesses,  and  the  deed  was  verified  by  the 
edition  preserved  inside.  Now  all  important  deeds  are 
copied  three  times,  two  of  the  tablets  are  given  to  the 
interested  parties,  the  third  is  deposited  with  a  royal 
notary.  The  work  ended,  the  scribes  compare  their 
writings  to  see  that  there  are  no  omissions  in  either  of 
them.  Then  the  judge  reads  the  deed  of  sale  aloud: 

*  This  is  why  modern  scholars  have  called  the  writings  the  cunei¬ 
form  characters. 


PRIVATE  LIFE  OF  AN  ASSYRIAN. 


225 


‘  A  field  large  enough  to  require  thirty-five  mea¬ 
sures  of  seed  corn  to  sow  it,  of  wheat  land,  situated  in 
the  town  of  Sairi,  bounded  by  the  property  of  Irsisi,  by 
the  field  of  Shamasshoumouzir,  by  the  field  of  Sbamass- 
alim,  by  the  public  pasture  meadows ;  Iddina  has  ac¬ 
quired  it  for  five  manas  of  silver. 

‘  The  price  has  been  definitely  settled,  the  field  has 
been  paid  for,  and  the  buyer  has  entered  into  possession, 
so  that  the  contract  cannot  now  be  cancelled. 

‘If,  in  time  to  come,  any  one  wishes  to  contest  the 
sale,  be  it  Nabouirib,  be  it  his  sons,  or  be  it  his  brothers, 
and  he  wishes  to  bring  a  claim  against  Iddina,  against 
his  sons,  or  against  his  sons’  sons,  to  demand  that  the 
contract  be  cancelled,  he  shall  pay  ten  manas  of  silver 
and  one  mana  of  gold  to  the  treasury  of  the  goddess 
Ishtar,  who  dwells  in  Nineveh,  and  moreover  he  shall 
repay  to  the  buyer  tenfold  the  price  of  the  sale ;  he 
may  bring  the  claim,  but  he  cannot  win  by  the  action. 

‘Before  Madie,  Binshoumedir,  Naboushoumidin, 
Mousezibil,  Habasle,  Belkaslidour,  Irsisi,  Kannouuai, 
Babe;  Nabousakin,  judge. 

‘  In  the  month  of  Tebet,  the  25th,  in  the  eponymy 
of  Sharnouri.’* 

The  reading  over,  the  contracting  parties  and  the 
witnesses  each  signed  in  the  usual  place  and  way. 
Iddina  and  his  witnesses  placed  a  nail- mark  upon  one 
side  of  the  tablet,  and  this  mark,  accompanied  by  the 
note,  Nail  of  Iddina :,  Nail  of  Binshoumedir,  is  their 
signature.  Nabouirib  and  the  scribes  fix  their  seal  at 
the  top  and  upon  the  back  of  the  tablet,  and  a  few 
words  placed  above  or  at  the  side,  name  the  owner  of 
the  mark.  The  seals  used  are  of  hard  stones  of  every 
kind,  in  red  or  green  jasper,  agate,  cornelian,  onyx, 
rock  crystal ;  a  few  are  in  amber  or  metal.  They  are 

*  This  deed  is  authentic,  and  dates  from  the  reisn  of  Esarhaddon 
(December,  673  b.c  ).  I  have  transported  it,  iotart,  to  the  reign  of 
Assurbanipal,  simply  changing  the  name  of  the  real  buyer  to  that  of 
Iddina ;  I  have  also  transformed  the  Assyrian  measures  to  modern 
oms  that  are  nearly  equivalent. 

16 


226 


PRIVATE  LIKE  OF  AN  ASSYRIAN. 


often  shaped  like  a  cylinder,  sometimes  like  a  truncated 
cone,  with  a  slightly  convex  base,  and  are  engraved 
with  figures  of  the  gods  or  goddesses,  sometimes  alone, 

sometimes  receiving  the 
homage  of  their  wor¬ 
shipper;  the  owner’s 
name  frequently  accom¬ 
panies  the  scene  (Fig.  124). 
Each  witness  rolls  his 
cylinder  or  stamps  his  seal 
upon  the  clay,  and  the 
judge,  the  last  of  all, 
legalises  the  signatures. 
The  clay  tablets  are  then 
placed  in  an  oven  and  arc  rapidly  transformed  into  so 
many  solid  bricks.  Iddina,  at  once,  by  a  new  series  of 
deeds,  transfers  to  his  son  the  land  he  has  just  acquired. 
Zamamanadin’s  dowry  is  now  settled;  JNoubta  can  at 
once  search  for  a  daughter-in-law. 

Marriage  is  both  an  act  of  civil  law  and  a  rite  of 
domestic  worship.  It  follows  engagements  made  by 
two  parties,  consecrated  by  one  or  several  formal  con¬ 
tracts,  drawn  up  by  a  scribe,  and  sealed  by  witnesses, 
an  authentic  copy  of  each  deed  being  deposited  with  one 
of  the  notaries  of  the  town.  The  lady  Noubta  will  have 
no  difficulty  in  finding  a  wife  for  Zamamanadin.  A 
young  man,  rich,  good-looking,  and  with  an  honourable 
profession,  can  choose  almost  as  he  likes  amongst  the 
young  girls  in  the  district ;  there  are  very  few  that 
would  be  withheld  by  their  families.  Noubta  only 
hesitates  between  the  various  fashions  of  marrying 
authorised  by  custom,  and  wonders  which  of  them  will 
be  the  best  for  her  son  and  for  herself.  Shall  she  buy 
her  future  daughter-in-law?  It  is  said  that  formerly, 
in  Babylon,  a  fair  was  annually  held  in  one  of  the 
markets  of  the  city  for  the  sale  of  girls.  A  public  crier 
put  them  up  to  auction,  one  after  the  other,  commencing 
by  the  most  beautiful,  for  whom  all  the  would-be  hus- 


Fig.  124. — Assyrian  Cylinders. 


PRIVATE  LIFE  OF  AN  ASSYRIAN.  227 

bands  disputed  at  a  high  price.  The  plain  ones  fol¬ 
lowed,  but  instead  of  selling  them  for  money,  a  dowry 
proportioned  to  their  ugliness  was  given  to  them.  This 
sum  was  levied  from  the  sale  of  the  beauties.  The 
auction  ended,  the  couples  were  formally  married,  and 
the  women  followed  their  husbands  to  their  new  home. 

Now  customs  have  changed;  women  are  no  longer 
bought  in  public,  but  generally  from  relations.  Nikhte- 
qarraou,  one  of  Noubta’s  neighbours,  procured  in  this 
way  the  young  Tavas-hasina  as  a  wife  for  her  son 
Zikha.  Tavas-hasina  was  pretty,  industrious,  well 
educated,  but  poor ;  her  parents  were  only  too  happy 
to  secure  her  future  by  a  matrimonial  sale.  In  these 
cases  the  price  is  never  high ;  Nikhteqarraou  paid 
eighteen  drachms  of  silver*  for  her  daughter-in-law, 
and  she  is  well  worth  it.  The  dyer,  Nabouakhidin, 
who  lives  at  the  corner  of  the  street,  managed  still 
better.  He  did  not  pay  anything  for  Banatsaggil,  the 
musician  ;  he  contented  himself  with  inserting  a  clause 
in  the  contract  by  which  he  bound  himself  to  pay  an 
indemnity  of  six  manas  in  silverf  if  he  should  repudiate 
her  to  marry  a  second  wife.  It  is  true  that  six  manas 
form  a  large  sum,  but  he,  therefore,  took  precautions 
so  that  he  should  not  pay  it  knowingly,  for  a  second 
clause  adds  that  should  Banatsaggil  ever  fail  in  her 
duty  she  shall  be  put  to  death  with  the  sword.  Now 
death  is  not  the  usual  punishment  for  an  unfaithful 
wife  ;  she  is  simply  deprived  of  her  clothes  and  turned 
into  the  street,  where,  henceforth,  she  lives  as  she  may. 
The  capital  punishment  is  only  mentioned  to  enable 
Nabouakhiden  to  avoid  paying  the  six  manas  should  he 
feel  inclined  to  divorce  Banatsaggil ;  he  will  have 
mercy  upon  her  if  she  consents  to  forego  her  dowry. 
Noubta  does  not  guard  against  misfortunes  so  far 
off ;  marriage  by  coemption  appears  to  offer  great 
advantages  to  her.  A  daughter  by  purchase  does  not 
bring  with  her  that  arrogance  and  those  pretensions 

*  About  67  franca  50  cents  of  silver  money  in  weight  (21.  16s.) 

t  Six  manas  of  silver  about  equal  1350  francs  in  silver  weight  (54Z.) 


PRIVATE  LIFE  OF  AX  ASSYRIAN. 


228 

to  occupy  the  first  place,  which  are  so  often  the  despair 
of  mothers-in-law.  It  is  to  her  interest  to  be  gentle  and 
obliging,  to  respect  the  habits  of  her  new  family ;  a 
dispute  with  her  husband's  parents  might  entail  divorce, 
and  send  her  back  to  poverty.  In  fact,  she  is  her 
husband’s  slave,  his  chattel,  and  the  law  so  completely 
regards  her  in  that  light  that,  if  by  chance,  her  father 
or  any  of  her  family  wished  to  reclaim  her,  they  would 
be  punished  by  a  fine,  the  penalty  reserved  for  people 
convicted  of  unreasonably  contesting  the  validity  of  a 
deed  of  sale ;  in  the  case  of  Tavas-hasina,  the  fine  is 
fixed  by  the  marriage  contract  at  the  sum  of  ten  manas 
of  silver.* 

Daughters-in-law  at  a  low  price  are  not  scarce.  But 
Noubta  determines  to  inquire,  before  choosing  one  of 
them,  whether  amongst  her  friends  or  her  friends’ 
friends  she  cannot  find  a  girl  rich  enough  for 
Zamamanadin  to  marry  without  paying  for  her,  or 
even  settling  a  dowry.  And  it  happens  that  Aikhte- 
qarraou  is  on  visiting  terms  with  the  wife  of  a  merchant 
named  Soulai,  who  lives  near  the  gate  of  Shamash, 
and  who  has  several  marriageable  daughter's.  Bilit- 
sounou,  the  eldest,  is  nearly  thirteen  years  old  ;  she  is 
tall,  slender,  with  bright  red  lips,  large  eyes,  thick, 
black  eyebrows,  meeting  above  the  nose.  IShe  knows 
how  to  manage  a  house,  can  sing,  play  the  harp, 
embroider  without  a  pattern,  read  and  write  fluently ; 
no  girl  of  noble  birth  could  have  received  a  better  or 
more  complete  education.  The  father  is  a  good  man, 
honest,  respected  throughout  the  whole  district  for  his 
integrity  ;  he  owns  a  draper’s  shop,  with  a  good  con¬ 
nexion,  and  his  mother,  who  still  lives,  possesses  a  great 
deal  of  land,  which  she  will  bequeath  to  him.  Noubta 
obtains  an  introduction  to  the  harem  of  Soulai ;  the 
young  girl  pleases  her,  the  marriage  is  arranged 
between  the  women,  and  ere  long  there  is  only  the 
official  request  to  be  made  for  her. 

*  Ten  manas  ot  silver  are  about  22j0  francs  of  silver  money  in 
weight  (901.) 


PRIVATE  LIFE  OF  AN  ASSYRIAN. 


229 


Iddina  powders  and  scents  himself,  puts  on  his  best 
fringed  robe,  then  goes  to  Souhu’s  house,  and,  after  a 
few  compliments,  explains  his  errand :  ‘  Will  you  give 
your  daughter  Bilitsounou  in  marriage  to  my  son 
Zamamanadin  ?’  Soula’i  consents,  and  without  further 
delay  the  two  men  arrange  the  dowry.  Both  fathers 
are  generous  and  rich,  but  they  are  also  men  of  business 
habits.  One  begins  by  asking  too  much,  the  other  re¬ 
plies  by  offering  too  little  ;  it  is  only  after  some  hours 
of  bargaining  that  they  finally  agree  and  settle  what 
each  knew  from  the  beginning  was  a  reasonable  dowry 
—  a  mana  of  silver,  three  servants,  a  trousseau,  and 
furniture,  with  permission  for  the  father  to  substitute 
articles  of  equal  value  for  the  cash.  The  marriage 
day  is  fixed  for  that  day  week,  the  10th  Aclar.  The 
preparations  do  not  take  long.  The  young  girl  has, 
during  the  last  year,  woven  and  embroidered  all  the 
materials  required  for  her  clothing  and  for  the  orna¬ 
mentation  of  her  room.  The  three  slaves  given  to  her 
were  born  in  the  house  and  know  their  mistress  since 
her  infancy.  The  bed,  seats,  chests,  and  hardware 
which  furnish  a  harem  are  bought  ready-made  in  the 
market.  The  chief  point  for  the  bride  is  the  adorn¬ 
ment  of  her  person,  so  that  she  may  find  favour  in  the 
eyes  of  her  husband  when  she  unveils  herself  before 
him  on  their  wedding  day,  and  he  sees  her  face  for  the 
first  time.  She  bathes  herself,  carefully  anoints  her 
body  and  hair  with  essences,  dyes  the  palms  of  her 
hands  and  her  nails  red  with  henna,  powders  her  cheeks, 
and  darkens  her  eyebrows.  Her  friends  rally  round 
her  to  assist  her,  to  counsel  her,  and  above  all  to  chatter 
noisily  from  morning  till  night,  these  days  of  waiting 
being  reckoned  amongst  the  happiest  of  a  woman’s  life. 

On  the  morning  of  the  10th,  the  friends  of  the  two 
families  having  assembled  in  the  bride’s  house,  the 
scribe  who  is  to  draw  up  the  marriage  contract  appears. 
The  two  fathers  and  the  bridegroom  are  in  festival 
dress,  and  do  ihe  honours  of  the  house.  The  astrologer 
has  been  consulted,  and  has  declared  that  the  day  is 


230 


PRIVATE  LIFE  OF  AN  ASSYRIAN. 


lucky  and  tlie  omens  favourable.  Tbe  men  assemble 
in  tbe  reception-rooms,  tbe  women  are  grouped  in  tbe 
barem  round  tbe  bride,  tbe  time  bas  come  for  accom¬ 
plishing  the  usual  formalities.  Iddina  rises  and  makes 
bis  offer  aloud.  Soulai  accepts  it,  and  announces  tbe 
dowry  be  will  give,  amidst  tbe  approving  murmurs  of 
tbe  assembly.  Bilitsounou  now  enters,  escorted  by  her 
friends  and  by  the  women  of  tbe  two  families.  She  is 
placed  by  tbe  side  of  her  bridegroom ;  Iddina,  seizing 
ber  band  and  that  of  Zamamanadin,  lays  them  palm 
upon  palm,  then  ties  them  together  with  a  thread  of 
wool,  the  emblem  of  the  bond  which  henceforth  links 
the  wife  to  the  husband ;  then  he  invokes  the  double 
of  Nebo  and  of  Merodach,  as  well  as  the  double  of  the 
King  Assurbanipal,  and  prays  them  to  grant  long 
years  of  happiness  to  the  young  couple.  Only  a  free 
man  has  the  right  of  conducting  this  symbolic  cere¬ 
mony,  or  of  calling  upon  the  gods  to  witness  a  marriage 
which  is  being  celebrated  in  their  name.  As  soon  as 
lie  lias  ended  his  prayer,  all  present  join  their  blessings 
to  his  own,  carefully  blending  with  them  all  the 
formulas  considered  infallible  in  averting  the  evil  eye 
and  all  the  malignant  influences  from  the  young  couple 
which  too  profuse  compliments  never  fail  to  attract 
towards  those  who  receive  them. 

II  owever,  the  scribe,  who  has  carefully  watched  the 
scene  to  see  that  everything  is  done  correctly,  now 
commences  to  write  upon  a  clay  tablet  tbe  formal 
marriage  contract.  The  terms  are  very  simple  and 
clear :  ‘  Iddina  has  spoken  to  Soulai,  saying,  “  Give 
thy  daughter  Bilitsounou  in  marriage  to  my  son 
Zamamanadin.”  Soulai  has  consented,  and  has  given 
his  daughter  Bilitsounou  one  mana  of  silver  and  three 
servants — Latoubaranou,  Illasillabitiniziz,  and  Taslimou 
— as  well  as  a  set  of  furniture  and  a  field  of  eight 
canes,  as  a  dowry  from  Bilitsounou  to  Zamamanadin. 
He  has  remitted  to  Zamamanadin,  as  a  guarantee  of 
the  mana  of  silver,  which  he  will  pay  by-and-by,  his 
servant  Nanakishirat,  who  is  worth  two-thirds  of  a 


PRIVATE  LIFE  OF  AN  ASSYRIAN. 


231 


maria,  and  lie  adds  nothing  as  security  for  the  other 
third  of  a  mana  still  due ;  when  he  pays  the  mana  of 
silver,  Nanakishirat  will  he  restored  to  him.’  The 
witnesses  place  a  nail-mark  or  a  seal  upon  the  tablet. 
The  bride’s  grandmother,  the  lady  Etillitou,  wishing 
to  prove  the  satisfaction  the  marriage  has  given  her, 
adds  two  slaves  to  the  three  which  Soula'i  has  bestowed 
upon  his  daughter,  and  this  gift  forms  the  substance  of 
a  supplementary  deed  drawn  up  in  the  same  fashion  as 
the  first.  ‘  The  lady  Etillitou  gives,  of  her  own  free 
will,  to  the  lady  Bilitsounou,  the  daughter  of  Soula'i, 
her  eldest  son — Banitloumour  and  Bazit,  her  two  ser¬ 
vants,  in  addition  to  the  three  servants  which  Soula'i, 
her  father,  has  given  to  her.  If  any  one  should  make  a 
claim  to  revoke  this  gift,  may  Merodach  and  Zirpanitum 
decree  his  ruin;  may  Nebo,  the  scribe  of  Esaggil,  cut 
short  his  future  days.’  * 

The  prayer  which  follows  the  binding  of  the  hands 
has  invoked  the  blessings  of  heaven  upon  the  union  of 
the  two  young  people ;  by  it,  and  by  it  alone,  is  religion 
blended  with  marriage.  As  soon  as  the  reading  of  the 
contract  is  over,  Soula’i  commands  that  tables  should  ho 
brought  in,  and  he  invites  the  guests  to  eat  and  drink 
with  him.  The  remainder  of  the  day  is  passed  in 
banquets  and  amusements — dancers,  singers,  players 
upon  the  harp  and  upon  the  flute,  jugglers  who  per¬ 
form  feats  of  strength,  story-tellers  who  relate  fables 
or  merry  tales.  The  house,  usually  so  closely  shut,  is 
freely  opened  to-day,  and  offers  its  hospitality  to  who¬ 
ever  will  accept  it ;  the  whole  neighbourhood  conies  to 
congratulate  the  parents  of  the  bride  and  bridegroom, 
and  to  share  in  the  rejoicings.  Evening  arrives,  and 
now  Bilitsounou  must  leave  her  father’s  house  for  ever. 
She  weeps,  clings  to  her  mother,  and  delays  the  time 
of  starting,  as  every  well-bred  girl  should  do.  At  last 
she  leaves,  on  foot,  surrounded  by  her  companions,  and 

*  These  contracts  are  authentic  ;  I  have  only  modified  a  few 
names  and  a  few  details  to  bring  them  into  harmony  with  each 
other,  and  with  the  general  tenor  of  my  narrative. 


232 


PRIVATE  LIFE  OF  AN  ASSYRIAN. 


advances  by  torchlight,  to  the  sound  of  those  piercing 
cries  by  which  women  habitually  show  their  joy  upon 
important  occasions.  A  crowd  assembles  to  see  the 
procession  pass,  with  its  musicians  and  jesters,  its  train 
of  slaves,  furniture  and  chests  preceding  the  bride. 
Zamamanadin  waits  for  her  in  the  midst  of  his  grooms¬ 
men,  and  welcomes  her  upon  the  threshold  of  the  house. 
The  festival  recommences — wine,  banquet,  musicians — 
and  it  continues  even  after  the  young  couple  have 
retired  to  the  harem. 

The  rejoicings  are  prolonged  for  several  days  more  ; 
then  life  resumes  its  usual  course  in  the  two  houses. 
Bilitsounou  is  soon  accustomed  to  her  new  life,  and 
Noubta  congratulates  herself  upon  her  choice.  The 
bride  is  a  true  type  of  the  virtuous  women,  whom  the 
wise  of  all  countries  delight  to  praise.  ‘  The  heart  of 
her  husband  trusteth  in  her,  and  he  shall  have  no  lack 
of  gain.  She  doetli  him  good  and  not  evil  all  the  days 
of  her  life.  She  seeketh  wool  and  flax,  and  worketh 
willingly  with  her  hands.  She  riseth  also  whilst  it  is 
yet  night,  and  giveth  meat  to  her  household,  and  their 
task  to  her  maidens.  Her  lamp  goetli  not  out  by 
night.  She  layeth  her  hands  to  the  distaff,  and  her 
palms  hold  the  spindle.  She  spreadeth  out  her  hand 
to  the  poor,  yea,  she  reacheth  forth  her  hands  to  the 
needy.  She  is  not  afraid  of  the  snow  for  her  household, 
for  all  her  household  are  clothed  with  scarlet.  She 
maketh  for  herself  cushions  of  tapestry,  her  clothing  is 
tine  linen  and  purple.  She  openeth  her  mouth  with 
wisdom,  and  the  teaching  of  kindness  is  on  her  tongue. 
She  looketh  well  to  the  ways  of  her  household,  and 
eateth  not  the  bread  of  idleness.  Her  children  rise  up 
and  call  her  blessed,  her  husband  also,  and  he  praiseth 
her,  saying  :  Many  daughters  have  done  virtuously,  but 
thou  excellest  them  all.’* 

*  Prov.  xxxi.  Since  this  description  represents  the  ideal,  not  of 
Jewish  women  only,  but  of  Oriental  women  in  general,  I  have  allowed 
myself  to  adapt  it  to  an  Assyrian. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


DEATH  AND  THE  FUNERAL. 

Man  and  liis  protecting  deity — Prayer  to  the  protecting  deity  against 
disease — The  god  Headache — The  exorcist :  exorcism  to  drive 
away  the  god  Headache — Consultation  in  the  public  square — 
Death  and  burial — The  destiny  of  the  soul  after  death — The 
Chaldean  tomb — Allat  and  Hell—  The  soul  received  amongst  the 
gods. 

A  few  weeks  have  passed  since  the  marriage.  Iddina 
insensibly  falls  into  a  languid,  melancholy  condition, 
for  which  there  is  apparently  no  reason.  Every  man  at 
his  birth  is  placed  under  the  protection  of  a  god  and 
goddess,  whose  servant,  and  almost  son,  he  then  be¬ 
comes,  whom  he  always  speaks  of  as  his  god  and 
goddess,  without  any  further  designation.  The  deity 
watches  over  his  protege  by  night  and  by  day,  less  to 
defend  him  against  visible  dangers,  than  to  preserve 
him  from  the  invisible  beings  which  perpetually  roam 
amongst  men  and  assail  them  from  all  sides.  If  the 
man  be  pious,  devout  towards  his  god  and  towards  the 
divinities  of  his  country,  if  he  celebrates  the  prescribed 
rites,  recites  the  prayers,  offers  the  sacrifices — in  a 
word,  if  he  be  righteous — then  the  divine  aid  will  never 
fail  him  ;  the  gods  will  grant  him  numerous  descen¬ 
dants,  a  happy  old  age,  many  days  before  the  moment 
decreed  by  destiny  when  he  must  resign  himself  to 
leave  the  light.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  he  he  impious, 
violent,  unfaithful,  ‘  his  god  will  break  him  like  a  reed,’ 
will  destroy  his  posterity,  shorten  his  days,  and  de¬ 
liver  him  to  the  demons  which  glide  into  his  body  and 
torment  him  with  disease  before  he  dies.  Iddina  asks 


234 


DEATH  AND  THE  FUNERAL. 


himself  what  unknown  crime  can  he  have  committed 
that  his  god  appears  to  withdraw  from  him.  He  invokes 
the  goddess  Ishtar,  and  describes  the  malady  which 
preys  upon  him.  ‘  My  days  are  passed  in  sighing,  my 
night  in  weeping,  the  months  are  a  torment  unto  me, 
my  year  is  a  perpetual  cry ;  all  my  strength  is  chained 
in  my  body,  my  feet  stumble  and  fail  as  though  they 
were  loaded  with  chains  ;  I  lie  down  roaring  like  a 
bull,  I  bleat  like  a  sheep  in  my  distress.  .  .  .  And  no 
god  has  come  to  mine  aid,  no  hand  has  been  stretched 
forth  to  help  me ;  no  god  has  had  pity  upon  me,  no 
goddess  has  come  near  to  me  to  help  me/ 

Assyria,  unlike  Egypt,  has  no  sacred  school  of 
medicine  where  the  rational  diagnosis  and  treatment 
of  complicated  diseases  is  taught.  It  only  produces 
sorcerers  or  exorcists,  skilful  in  casting  out  the  demons 
in  possession,  whose  presence  in  a  living  body  is  the 
sole  cause  of  disorder  and  death.  The  general  appear¬ 
ance  of  the  patient,  the  manner  in  which  he  bears  the 
crisis,  the  words  he  utters  in  delirium  are  to  these 
clever  individuals  so  many  signs  which  reveal  the 
nature  and  sometimes  even  the  name  of  the  enemy 
they  have  to  contend  with.  The  most  terrible  of  these 
evil  spirits  are  called  fever  and  pestilence ;  fortunately, 
Iddina’s  symptoms  do  not  point  to  these  dread  visitors. 
He  passes  the  greater  part  of  each  night  in  a  pro¬ 
found  slumber,  from  which  he  awakens  at  intervals, 
the  mind  disturbed,  the  eyes  swollen,  with  a  singing  in 
the  ears,  and  a  noise  like  hammers  beating  in  his  brain. 
It  is  the  god  Headache  that  possesses  him,  and  the 
sorcerers  prepare  to  drive  him  away.  The  formulas 
used  against  him  are  very  ancient :  they  come  from 
Chaldea,  and  are  preserved  in  some  old  books,  written 
in  such  mysterious  language  and  characters  that  only  a 
very  few  learned  men  can  understand  them.  The 
magician  whom  Noubta  summons  to  her  husband 
brings  with  him  some  of  the  most  efficacious  charms 
against  the  malady  described  to  him.  He  carefully 


DEATH  AND  THE  FUNERAL. 


235 


examines  the  patient’s  eyes  and  face,  inquires  about 
the  commencement  of  the  illness,  and  the  various 
phases  through  ■which  it  has  passed,  then  declares  that 
the  case  is  more  serious  than  he  had  supposed.  Iddina 
is  the  victim  of  witchcraft,  practised  by  some  one  whom 
he  has  offended,  and  who  is  taking  revenge  by  slowly 
killing  him  with  fire.  The  imprecation  which  some 
magician  has  pronounced  against  him  pursues  him 
continually ;  it  will  kill  him  if  the  effects  cannot  he 
averted  by  a  counter-spell  which  will  induce  Idea,  the 
supreme  god,  and  Merodach  to  use  their  great  power 
in  his  service. 

Medical  exorcisms  are  religious  ceremonials,  which 
should  he  celebrated  within  the  precincts  of  a  temple. 
Since  Iddina  is  already  weakened  by  the  days  of 
suffering  which  he  has  borne,  the  magician  consents  to 
attend  to  him  in  his  own  house.  lie,  therefore,  arrives 
with  his  hooks,  a  packet  of  herbs,  which  he  has  care¬ 
fully  gathered  himself,  and  the  necessary  objects  for 
preparing  a  charm.  lie  takes  off  his  shoes,  purifies 
himself,  and,  entering  the  sick-room,  lights  a  fire  upon 
the  ground  of  herbs  and  aromatic  plants,  which  burn 
with  a  clear,  almost  smokeless,  flame.  The  first  part 
of  the  charm,  which  he  recites,  describes  the  enchant¬ 
ment  from  which  his  patient  suffers.  ‘  The  impreca¬ 
tion,’  he  says,  in  a  firm  rhythmical  voice,  ‘  the  impre¬ 
cation,  like  a  demon,  has  fallen  upon  the  man  ;  the 
voice  of  the  magician  has  fallen  upon  him  like  a 
scourge  ;  the  malignant  voice  has  fallen  upon  him,  the 
noxious  imprecation,  the  sorcery,  the  headache.  The 
mischievous  imprecation  is  slaying  this  man  like  a 
lamb,  for  his  protecting  god  is  withdrawn  from  his 
body,  his  protecting  goddess  has  left  him,  and  the 
voice  which  scourges  him  has  spread  itself  over  him 
like  a  garment,  and  paralyses  him.’  The  evil  which 
the  magician  has  wrought  is  terrible,  but  the  gods  can 
still  repair  it,  and  already  Merodach  is  aroused,  Mero¬ 
dach  has  looked  upon  the  patient,  Merodach  has  entered 


236 


DEATH  AND  THE  FUNERAL. 


the  house  of  his  father,  Ilea,  saying,  ‘  0  ray  father  ! 
the  malignant  imprecation  has  fallen  upon  the  man  like 
a  demon.’  Twice  he  speaks  to  him  and  says,  ‘  I  do  not 
know  what  this  man  should  do,  or  what  will  cure  him.’ 
Hea  replies  to  his  son,  Merodach  :  ‘  My  son,  what  is 
unknown  to  thee,  and  what  can  I  tell  thee  that 
thou  knowest  not  already  P  All  that  I  know,  thou 
knowest  also  ;  go,  then,  my  son,  Merodach,  lead  the 
man  to  the  purifying  hath,  and  drive  away  the  sorcery 
which  is  over  him  ;  drive  away  the  witchcraft,  the  ill 
that  tortures  his  body,  whether  it  he  caused  by  the 
curse  of  his  father,  or  the  curse  of  his  mother,  or  the 
curse  of  his  eldest  brother,  or  the  pernicious  curse  of 
a  stranger  !  Let  this  malediction  be  removed  by  the 
charm  of  Ilea,  like  a  clove  of  garlic,  being  peeled,  or  a 
date,  being  cut  in  pieces,  or  a  branch  covered  with 
flowers  which  is  torn  away !  The  witchcraft,  oh, 
heavenly  double  conjure  it!  oh,  doidfle  of  the  earth, 
conjure  it  !*  The  gods  arm  themselves  in  favour  of 
the  patient,  and  Ilea,  the  sovereign  of  the  world,  deigns 
to  indicate  the  remedy.  Let  the  invalid  take  succes¬ 
sively  a  clove  of  garlic,  a  date,  and  a  branch  covered 
with  flowers,  and  throw  them  into  the  fire  piece  by 
piece,  as  he  recites  an  incantation  ;  however  strong  the 
malediction  may  be,  its  effects  will  be  destroyed. 

However,  Iddina  has  purified  himself  according  to 
Ilea’s  command ;  he  has  washed  his  feet,  hands,  and 
face,  and  has  sprinkled  his  body  with  perfumed  water. 
These  preliminaries  ended,  the  magician  places  himself 
in  front  of  the  brazier  with  the  patient,  peels  the  clove 
of  garlic,  which  the  god  demands,  and  burns  it,  mur¬ 
muring  the  formula,  ‘  Even  as  this  garlic  is  peeled  and 
thrown  into  the  fire,  the  flame  consumes  it,  it  will 
never  be  planted  in  the  garden,  it  will  never  be  re¬ 
freshed  by  the  water  of  a  pool  or  of  a  trench,  its  roots 
will  never  penetrate  the  earth  again,  its  stalk  will 

*  Double  is  here  used  in  the  sense  given  it  by  the  Egyptologists 
(see  p.  43). 


DEATH  AMD  THE  HUMERAL. 


237 


not  grow  or  see  the  sun  again,  it  will  never  serve  as 
food  for  the  gods  or  for  the  king  ;  even  so  may  Mero- 
daeh,  the  general  of  the  gods,  drive  this  witchcraft  far 
from  Iddina,  and  loosen  the  power  of  the  devouring 
evil,  of  the  sin,  of  the  fault,  of  the  perversity,  of  the 
crime.’  And  Iddina  repeats  after  him,  in  a  faltering 
voice  :  ‘  The  disease,  which  is  in  my  body,  in  my  flesh, 
in  my  muscles,  may  it  be  cast  off  like  this  clove  of 
garlic,  and  consumed  in  one  day  by  the  devouring 
flame ;  may  the  witchcraft  depart,  that  I  may  still  see 
the  light  for  many  days  to  come.’  The  magician  then 
cuts  the  date  into  small  pieces,  and  whilst  it  burns  he 
resumes  his  monotonous  chant :  ‘  Even  as  the  date  is 
cut  up  and  thrown  into  the  tire,  the  ardent  flame  con¬ 
sumes  it,  he  who  gathered  it  can  never  replace  it  upon 
its  stalk,  it  will  never  be  served  at,  the  king’s  table ; 
even  so  may  Merodach,  the  general  of  the  gods,  drive 
the  witchcraft  far  from  Iddina  and  break  the  power  of 
the  devouring  evil,  of  the  sin,  of  the  fault,  of  the  per¬ 
versity  of  the  crime.’  And  again  Iddina  repeats : 
‘  The  disease  which  is  in  my  body,  in  my  flesh,  in  my 
muscles,  may  it  be  cut  like  this  date  and  consumed  this 
day  by  the  devouring  flame  ;  may  the  witchcraft  depart, 
that  I  may  still  see  the  light  for  many  days  to  come.’ 

The  ceremony  is  prolonged,  and  the  fire  successively 
consumes  the  branch  of  flowers,  a  flock  of  wool,  some 
goat’s  hair,  a  skein  of  dyed  thread,  and  a  bean.  Each 
time  the  magician  repeats  the  formula,  introducing 
two  or  three  words  that  characterise  the  nature  of  the 
offering :  the  leaves  of  the  branch  can  never  be 
reunited  to  the  tree,  nor  used  for  the  dyer’s  work  ; 
the  wool  and  the  hair  can  never  return  to  the  animals 
that  wore  them,  nor  be  used  for  making  cloth. 
Iddina  keeps  up  to  the  end,  in  spite  of  his  weakness  ; 
but  as  soon  as  the  last  words  are  uttered,  he  falls 
back  exhausted  upon  his  bed  and  nearly  faints.  The 
swoon  of  a  patient  is  regarded  as  a  good  omen  in  these 
cases ;  it  proves  that,  the  charm  is  working.  The 


238 


DEATH  AND  THE  FUNERAL. 


struggle  taking  place  in  the  body  between  the  benevo¬ 
lent  gods  and  the  evil  spirit  is  always  so  great  that  few 
men  can  bear  the  reaction  without  suffering  from  it.  The 
sick  man  becomes  excited,  he  trembles  all  over,  utters 
groans  or  lamentable  cries,  rolls  upon  the  ground  with 
so  much  force  that  it  is  difficult  to  restrain  him  ;  great 
prostration  succeeds  to  this  attack,  marking  the  tem¬ 
porary  victory  of  the  sick  man  over  his  disease.  The 
magician  then  recites  a  final  incantation,  in  which  he 
once  more  invokes  Idea,  Merodach,  and  lastly,  the  god 
of  fire,  who  has  so  kindly  lent  his  aid  to  the  rites  of  the 
exorcism  :  ‘  0  fire  !  powerful  lord,  who  exaltest  thyself 
in  the  land !  hero,  son  of  the  abyss,  who  art  exalted 
in  the  land!  0  god  of  fire  !  by  thy  sacred  flame  thou 
hast  established  the  light  in  the  house  of  darkness  ! 
Thou  determinest  the  destiny  of  everything  that  has  a 
name,  thou  blendest  copper  and  tin  by  thine  heat, 
thou  refinest  silver  and  gold,  thou  makest  the  wicked 
to  tremble  in  the  night.  Grant  that  the  limbs  of  this 
man,  who  has  once  more  become  the  son  of  his  god,  may 
shine  with  purity,  that  he  may  be  pure  as  the  heaven, 
brilliant  as  upon  the  earth,  that  lie  may  shine  as  the 
centre  of  heaven,  and  that  the  malignant  tongue  which 
had  enchanted  him  may  lose  all  its  power  over  him.’ 

Two  days  pass  by,  yet  the  exorcism,  although  re- 
peatednightand  morning,  does  not  produce  any  beneficial 
effect,  it  only  seems  to  increase  the  patient’s  weakness. 
Iddina  does  not  become  ‘  the  son  of  his  god  again  ;  ’ 
it  would  rather  seem  that  his  god  departs  from  him, 
and  delivers  him  to  death  without  further  resistance, 
An  old  custom  still  exists  in  Babylon  of  carrying  the 
sick  to  the  public  square,  and  there  exposing  them  to 
the  gaze  of  the  passers-by.  The  latter  draw  near,  ask 
the  symptoms,  the  means  used  to  decrease  the  malady. 
If  they  have  had,  or  still  have,  any  one  amongst  their 
relations  suffering  from  the  same  ailment,  they  describe 
the  remedies  that  have  cured  them.  This  practice  is 
also  common  in  Assyria,  like  many  other  Chaldean 
usages,  and  Noubta  at  last  resolves  to  try  it.  She 


DEATH  AND  THE  FUNERAL. 


239 


wraps  Iddina  in  his  woollen  coverings,  places  him  upon 
a  bed,  and  two  slaves  gently  carry  him  to  the  gate  of 
Ishtar.  The  judges  are  sitting  there,  all  the  idle  men 
of  the  district  are  assembled  in  the  front  court,  peasants 
and  foreigners  are  coming  in  and  out  of  the  city ;  if 
there  be  any  chance  of  obtaining  competent  advice,  it 
must  be  there  sooner  than  anywhere  else. 

The  sight  of  Iddina  rouses  various  feelings  in  the 
crowd.  Several  fear  that  the  illness  is  infectious,  and 
that  the  demon  in  possession  may  be  tempted  to  leave 
the  patient  and  throw  himself  upon  them  ;  others  feel 
more  curiosity  than  fear  or  sympathy  ;  friends  sorrow¬ 
fully  dwell  upon  his  changed  appearance,  and  murmur 
to  each  other  sad  reflections  upon  the  instability  of  life. 
The  officious  crowd  round  the  bed,  question,  exchange 
conjectures,  and  propose  remedies  to  which  i  he  family 
listen  anxiously.  ‘  1  he  exorcisms  have  failed  ?  Which 
were  they  ?  Has  the  incantation  of  the  seven  demons 
been  recited  ?  Has  the  charm  of  Eridou  been  tried  ? 
Take  the  wool  of  a  young  sheep,  and  let  a  sorceress — a 
sorceress,  not  a  sorcerer — bind  it  upon  the  temples  of 
the  sick  man,  to  the  right  and  left.  The  knot  must  be 
tied  seven  times  running,  seven  different  times  ;  a  cord 
must  then  be  tied  round  the  patient’s  head,  another 
round  his  neck,  another  round  each  of  the  limbs,  in 
order  to  chain  his  soul  if  it  wish  to  escape,  then  the 
magic  waters  should  be  poured  upon  him/  Another 
declares  that  he  has  been  cured  by  magic ;  an  earthen 
figure  of  himself  was  made,  then  a  libation  of  wine  was 
poured  over  it,  a  charm  was  recited,  and  the  malady 
disappeared.  Or  you  can  mix  six  different  kinds  of 
wood,  pound  them  with  a  piece  of  serpent,  add  some 
wine  and  some  raw  meat,  then  form  a  paste  of  the 
mixture,  and  let  the  patient  swallow  it.  This  recipe  is 
infallible ;  it  is  found  in  an  old  and  highly  esteemed 
book  that  King  Assurbanipal  has  had  copied  for  his 
personal  use.  The  open  air,  the  sun,  the  noise  at  first 
revived  Iddina,  but  now  they  oppress  him  and  add  to 


240 


DEATH  AND  THE  FUNERAL. 


his  exhaustion.  When  he  reaches  home,  he  falls  into 
a  profound  stupor,  from  which  neither  exorcisms,  nor 
remedies,  nor  the  despairing  appeals  of  his  wife  and 
children  can  rouse  him.  Two  more  days,  a  slight 
rattle  in  the  throat,  some  shivers,  a  few  convulsive 
movements  of  the  limbs  show  that  life  is  not  quite 
extinct ;  but  on  the  evening  of  the  third  day,  a  little 
before  sunset,  he  yields  his  last  breath,  and  Shed,  the 
god  of  death,  takes  possession  of  him  for  ever. 

The  peoples  of  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates  resemble 
the  Egyptians  in  their  noisy  and  disorderly  expressions 
of  grief.  As  soon  as  a  man  dies  his  relations  and  con¬ 
nexions,  particularly  the  women,  rend  their  garments, 
scratch  their  cheeks  and  chest,  cover  their  head  with 
dust  and  ashes,  and  utter  loud  howls  of  sorrow,  which 
disturb  the  whole  neighbourhood  and  force  it  to 
share  in  their  mourning.  But  if  the  external  marks 
of  grief  are  similar,  the  method  of  treating  the  corpse 
is  quite  different.  The  Assyrians  certainly  believe 
that  the  life  of  man  is  prolonged  beyond  this  world  ; 
they  know  that  one  part  only  of  the  elements  which 
compose  it  dies  upon  this  earth — the  other  continues  to 
exist  beyond  it,  if  not  for  ever,  at  least  for  some  time 
to  come.  However,  they  do  not  share  the  Egyptian  belief 
that  the  immortality  of  the  soul  is  indissolubly  linked  with 
that  of  the  body,  and  that,  after  death,  it  perishes  if  the 
flesh,  which  it  inhabited,  is  allowed  to  decay.  In  the 
Assyrian  creed,  the  soul  is  certainly  not  indifferent  to  the 
fate  of  the  body  it  has  quitted;  the  pain  it  feels  at  death 
and  the  discomforts  of  its  new  state  are  increased  if  the 
corpse  is  burnt,  mutilated,  or  left  unburied  as  food  for 
the  birds  of  prey.  Nevertheless,  this  sentiment  is  not 
carried  so  far  as  to  lead  the  Assyrians  to  feel  the  same 
necessity  for  escaping  corruption  that  induces  the 
Egyptians  to  transform  themselves  into  mummies.  The 
corpse  is  not  subjected  to  the  injections,  repeated  baths 
in  preserving  fluids,  and  laborious  bandaging  which 
render  it  indestructible  :  it  is  perfumed,  hastily  dressed, 


DEATH  AND  THE  FUNERAL. 


241 


and  buried  as  soon  as  a  change  takes  place  in  it,  only  a 
few  hours  after  life  is  extinct. 

Whilst  the  family  weep  and  lament,  some  old  wo¬ 
men  wash  the  body  of  Iddina,  anoint  it  with  scented 
oil,  wrap  it  in  a  state  robe,  rouge  the  cheeks  and 
blacken  the  edges  of  the  eyelids,  place  a  collar  round 
the  neck  and  rings  upon  the  fingers,  fold  the  arms 
over  the  breast,  then  lay  the  corpse  upon  the  bed,  with 
an  altar  at  the  bed-head,  where  the  usual  offerings  of 
water,  incense,  and  cakes  are  prepared.  The  evil 
spirits  always  hover  round  the  dead,  either  to  feed 
upon  the  body  or  to  use  it  for  their  witchcraft ;  if  they 
glide  into  a  dead  man  at  this  time  he  may  be  trans¬ 
formed  into  a  vampire,  and  return  later  on  to  suck  the 
blood  of  the  living.  The  family,  therefore,  by  their 
prayers  invite  benevolent  genii  and  the  gods  to  watch 
over  him.  Two  of  them,  although  invisible,  stand  at  the 
head  and  the  foot  of  the  bed,  and  stretch  a  hand  over 
him  to  bless  him  (Fig.  125).  These  are  the  forms  of 
Hea,  and,  like  Hea,  they  are  clothed  in  fish- skins. 
Three  others  take  their  stand  in  the  mortuary  chamber, 
ready  to  strike  any  one  who  attempts  to  enter  it ;  one 
of  them  has  a  human  head,  the  others  have  a  lion’s 
head  upon  a  human  body.  Others,  again,  hover  above 
the  house  in  order  to  repulse  the  spectres  wrho  try  to 
penetrate  through  the  roof.  So  that,  during  the  last 
hours  which  the  corpse  passes  upon  earth,  it  is  care¬ 
fully  guarded  by  a  legion  of  gods. 

The  funeral  procession  leaves  the  house  early  in  the 
morning.  The  dead  man  is  laid  upon  a  bed  carried 
by  several  men.  It  is  preceded  and  followed  by  a 
group  of  hired  mourners  and  musicians;  then  come  the 
relations  in  their  sacks  of  coarse  dark  material,  very 
narrow  and  without  any  folds ;  then  the  friends,  ac¬ 
quaintances,  and  people  from  the  district  who  wish  to 
pay  the  last  respect  to  their  neighbour.  The  cries  used 
are  the  same  as  in  Egypt,  the  same  exclamations  break 
the  silence  :  ‘  Alas,  Iddina  !  Alas,  my  lord  !  Alas,  mv 
17 


242 


DEATH  AND  THE  FUNERAL. 


father !  ’  In  the  intervals  the  friends  exchange  com¬ 
ments  upon  the  vanity  of  human  things,  which,  under 
the  same  circumstances,  always  furnishes  an  inexhaus¬ 
tible  subject  of  conversation  to  the  survivors.  ‘It  is 
the  same  with  us  all  !  The  day  of  death  is  unknown 
to  us  all.  Thus  goes  the  wofld  :  he  was  alive  in  the 
evening,  and  in  the  morning  he  died  at  daybreak !  ’ 
The  procession  slowly  leaves  the  town,  and  proceeds 
towards  one  of  the  cemeteries  where  the  people  of  I)ur- 
ISarginu  rest.  No  one  must  seek  in  Assyria  for  monu¬ 
mental  hypogea  or  pyramids  like  those  of  Egypt. 
There  are  no  mountains  running  to  right  and  left  of 
the  stream,  of  stone  soft  enough  for  galleries  or  funeral 
rooms  to  be  hewn  out  of  them,  or  hard  enough  to  pre¬ 
vent  the  chambers,  once  hewn,  from  crumbling  upon 
themselves.  Nineveh  and  the  majority  of  the  great 
cities  of  Assyria  and  Chaldea  are  surrounded  by  large, 
low  plains,  where  all  that  is  buried  quickly  decomposes 
under  the  influence  of  the  heat  and  damp  ;  vaults  dug 
in  the  soil  would  be  soon  invaded  by  the  water  in  spite 
of  masonry,  the  paintings  and  sculptures  would  be  spoilt 
by  the  nitre,  the  objects  of  furniture  and  coffins  de¬ 
stroyed.  The  house  of  the  Assyrian  dead  could  not, 
therefore,  be  like  that  of  the  Egyptian,  a  house  for 
eternity. 

Yet  he  dwells  there,  and  his  soul  with  him.  An 
attempt  is  made  at  the  time  he  leaves  our  world  to 
give  him  the  food,  clothes,  ornaments,  and  utensils  which 
he  may  require  in  the  next.  Well  treated  by  his  children 
or  heirs,  he  protects  them  as  well  as  he  can,  and  wards 
off  evil  influences  from  them.  When  they  abandon 
and  forget  him,  he  avenges  himself  by  returning  to 
torment  them  in  their  homes;  he  brings  illness  upon 
them,  and  crushes  them  by  his  curse.  If  through  an 
accident  he  remained  unburied,  he  would  become  dan¬ 
gerous,  not  only  to  his  own  family,  but  to  the  whole 
country.  The  dead,  unable  to  procure  for  themselves 
the  necessities  of  an  honest  life,  are  pitiless  for  each 


Fig.  125. — Death  and  Hell.  In  the  centre  the  dead  man  lies  upon  his 
runeral  bed,  watched  by  the  gods  ;  hell  and  its  divinities  are  in 
the  lower  division. 


244 


DEATH  AND  THE  FUNERAL. 


other ;  if  any  one  goes  amongst  tlicm  without  a  tomb, 
without  libations  or  offerings,  they  will  not  receive 
him,  and  will  not  give  him  even  an  alms  of  bread  out 
of  their  scanty  provisions.  The  spirit  of  the  unburied 
corpse,  having  neither  dwelling  nor  means  of  subsistence, 
wanders  through  the  cities  and  the  towns,  and  supports 
himself  by  rapine  and  the  crimes  he  commits  against 
the  living.  He  glides  into  the  houses  during  the  night, 
reveals  himself  to  the  inhabitants  under  horrible  dis¬ 
guises,  and  terrifies  them.  Always  on  the  watch,  as 
soon  as  he  surprises  a  victim  he  springs  upon  him, 
‘  the  head  against  his  head,  the  hand  against  his  hand, 
the  foot  against  his  foot.’  The  individual  thus  attacked, 


Fig.  126. — Chaldean  Coffin  in  Baked  Eaitk. 


whether  man  or  beast,  will  never  escape  from  him, 
unless  magic  can  furnish  some  very  powerful  weapons 
of  resistance  against  him  ;  the  vampire  figures  by  the 
side  of  spectres  and  ghouls  amongst  the  demons,  whose 
fury  is  averted  by  invoking  the  doubles  of  heaven  and 
of  earth. 

The  most  ancient  Chaldeans  constructed  their  tombs 
in  brick,  like  their  homes  and  palaces.  They  were 
large  vaults  arched  with  corbels,  in  which  one  or  more 
persons  could  be  buried  at  once.  They  also  used  simple 
pots  of  baked  earth,  in  which  the  corpse  was  placed, 
or  two  long  cylindrical  jars,  in  which  it  lay  at  full 
length,  and  which  was  closed  with  bitumen  (Fig.  126). 
Sometimes  the  tombs  were  small  round  or  oval  build¬ 
ings,  raised  upon  a  clump  of  bricks,  and  covered  with 


DEATH  AND  THE  FUNERAL. 


245 


a  dome  or  a  flat  roof  (Fig.  127).  The  house  was  not 
large,  and  occasionally  the  inhabitant  could  hardly 
enter  it,  unless  he  were  bent  almost  double.  In  the 
smallest  of  them  he  had  only  his  clothes,  jewels,  bronze 
arrows,  and  a  vase  of  copper  or  metal.  Others  con¬ 
tained  a  set  of  furniture,  less  complete  than  those  with 
which  the  Egyptians  encumbered  their  hypogea,  but 
sufficient  for  the  requirements  of  a  spirit.  The  body 
was  extended,  fully  dressed,  upon  a  mat  impregnated 
with  bitumen,  the  head  leaning  upon  a  cushion  or 


Fig.  127.— Round  Chaldean  Tomb. 

against  a  flat  brick,  the  hands  laid  upon  the  breast, 
the  shroud  kept  in  place  by  straps  round  the  legs  and 
ankles.  Sometimes  the  dead  man  was  laid  upon  the 
left  side,  the  legs  slightly  bent,  the  right  hand  thrown 
over  the  left  shoulder  and  plunged  in  a  vase  as  though 
he  wished  to  take  it  and  raise  it  to  his  mouth.  Clay  jars 
and  dishes  were  placed  round  him  containing  the  daily 
food  and  drink,  the  wine  which  he  preferred,  some 
dates,  fish,  fowls,  and  game,  even  a  boar’s  head,  and, 
as  in  Egypt,  offerings  in  stone,  which  replaced  real 
offerings,  and  lasted  longer  (Fig.  128).  The  man 
carried  his  weapons  as  well  as  his  provisions — a  lance, 


246 


DEATH  AND  THE  FUNERAL. 


some  javelins,  his  state  walking- cane,  the  cylinder 
with  which  he  sealed  his  deeds  during  his  lifetime. 
By  the  side  of  a  woman  were  placed  ornaments  and 
spare  jewels,  flowers,  vials  of  perfume,  combs,  rouge- 
needles,  and  cakes  of  the  black  paste  with  which  she 
darkened  her  eyelashes  and  eyebrows. 

The  tombs,  placed  one  against  the  other,  were 
covered  with  sand  or  ashes  in  the  course  of  years ; 
then,  later  on,  the  site  was  used  for  new  tombs,  so 
that  at  last,  in  Ourouk  and  many  parts  of  Chaldea, 


Fig.  128. — Interior  of  a  Chaldean  Tomb. 

they  have  formed  mounds,  which  increase  and  con¬ 
tinue  rising  day  by  day.  They  are  less  crowded  in 
Assyria,  and  less  solidly  built,  so  that  they  quickly 
disappear  without  leaving  any  trace  above  the  ground, 
and  whoever  seeks  for  them  must  disturb  a  great  deal 
of  earth  before  he  finds  what  remains.  The  monu¬ 
ments  of  the  kings  only  are  still  recognised.  It  is 
said  that  the  royal  palace  contains  the  tomb  of  Nimrod, 
the  fabulous  founder  of  the  city  and  empire.*  The 

*  Ctesias  relates  that  Semiramis  had  buried  Nimrod  in  the  interior 
of  the  palace  of  Nineveh.  The  tradition  which  he  quotes  is  certainly 
older  than  the  epoch  at  which  he  wrote,  and  I  have  not  felt  that  I 
ventured  too  much  in  carrying  it  back  to  the  time  of  the  Sargonides. 


DEATH  AND  THE  FUNERAL. 


247 


storied  tower  is  built  over  it,  and  distinguishes  its  site 
from  afar  off.  It  is  possible  that  the  popular  tradition 
is  right  on  this  point,  as  upon  many  others  which  it 
asserts,  although  its  testimony  is  scarcely  credited. 
For  instance,  it  is  known  that  the  majority  of  the 
kings  repose  in  the  cities  where  they  resided,  under 
the  protection  of  the  gods  of  the  city.  The  Babylonian 
chroniclers  carefully  register,  behind  the  name  of  each 
prince,  the  name  of  the  palace  in  which  he  was  buried ; 
and  as  to  the  sovereigns  of  Assyria,  the  old  Ninevites 
still  remember  the  fetes  which  Sennacherib  gave  in 
their  honour  when  he  restored  their  tombs,  which  had 
been  half  destroyed  during  the  wars  and  the  revolu¬ 
tions  of  the  preceding  century. 

No  one  now  believes  that  the  small  case  of  baked 
earth  in  which  the  body  reposes  will  be  the  eternal 
dwelling  of  the  soul.  It  is  supposed  that  far  from  us, 
some  say  beneath  the  earth,  others  at  the  oriental  or 
southern  extremities  of  the  universe,  there  is  a  gloomy 
country,  where  all  those  who  still  exist  of  the  past 
generations  live  together  under  the  rule  of  the  god 
Nergal  and  the  goddess  Allat.  A  river  ends  there 
which  Hows  from  the  primitive  waters  of  the  ocean, 
in  the  midst  of  which  our  world  is  plunged.  It  is 
surrounded  by  seven  walls  and  closed  by  seven  doors, 
guarded  by  an  inexorable  porter.  The  shades  can 
only  enter  it  with  an  order  from  the  goddess.  They 
are  immediately  deprived  of  all  that  they  brought  with 
them,  and  are  led  naked  before  Allat,  who  judges 
them  and  assigns  to  them  their  place  in  her  realm. 
Th  ose  who  displease  her  are  subjected  to  frightful 
tortures ;  they  endure  hunger  and  thirst,  leprosy  preys 
upon  them  for  ever,  all  the  diseases  attack  and  devour 
them  without  killing  them.  Those  who  escape  these 
agonies  drag  out  a  gloomy,  joyless  existence.  They 
are  hungry  and  thirsty,  yet  they  have  nothing  but 
rubbish  and  dust  to  eat  and  drink.  They  are  cold, 
and  are  only  given  one  garment  of  feathers,  the  great 


248 


DEATH  AND  THE  FUNERAL. 


dark  wings  of  the  birds  of  night,  upon  which  they 
perpetually  flutter  to  and  fro,  uttering  plaintive  cries. 
Once  admitted  to  this  dismal  realm  they  never  leave  it, 
unless  sent  by  special  order  from  the  gods  above  to 
terrify  and  torment  the  living.  They  have  no  re¬ 
collection  of  their  life  upon  earth.  Family,  friend¬ 
ship,  gratitude  for  services  rendered,  all  are  for  ever 
effaced  from  their  memory ;  they  only  retain  an 
immense  regret  that  they  have  left  the  light,  and  a 
great  desire  to  return  to  it.  Allat  could  satisfy  them 
if  she  liked.  The  threshold  of  her  palace  is  built  over 
a  spring ;  the  waters  which  flow  from  it  restore  life  to 
those  who  bathe  in  or  drink  of  them.  They  spring 
forth  as  soon  as  the  stone  is  raised  which  imprisons 
them.  But  the  spirits  of  the  earth,  the  Anunaki,  watch 
over  them  with  jealous  care.  ‘They  are  seven,  they 
are  seven,  in  the  hollow  of  the  abyss  they  are  seven  ; 
they  are  neither  males  nor  females,  but  are  as  the 
torrents  which  are  poured  out  ;  they  take  no  wife, 
they  have  no  children,  they  know  neither  pity  nor 
benevolence ;  they  do  not  listen  to  prayer  or  supplica¬ 
tion  ;  they  increase  the  discord  in  the  mountains ; 
they  are  the  enemies  of  Hea,  the  messengers  of  death, 
and  the  agents  of  Allat.’  Sometimes  they  scatter  over 
the  earth  in  the  form  of  poisonous  winds  and  raise  a 
storm,  sometimes  they  press  into  the  battle-field  and 
mercilessly  cut  down  the  heroes.  Ilea  only  is  powerful 
enough  to  wrest  a  few  drops  of  the  life-giving  water 
from  them ;  but  even  then  they  give  it  reluctantly 
and  with  many  protestations  against  the  will  of  the 
supreme  god. 

This  wild,  gloomy  conception  of  life,  in  common 
with  others  in  a  single  kingdom,  is  still  worse  than  the 
idea  of  prolonged  existence  in  the  tomb  to  which  it  has 
succeeded.  In  the  tomb,  at  least,  the  soul  was  alone 
with  the  body  to  which  it  had  been  linked ;  in  the 
house  of  Allat  it  is  lost  in  the  midst  of  the  genii  which 
issue  from  the  night.  It  is  surrounded  by  those  for- 


DEATH  AND  THE  FUNERAL. 


249 


midable  shapes  which,  scarcely  defined  in  dreams,  have 
already  persecuted  it  upon  the  earth.  None  of  these 
demons  have  a  simple  face  in  any  way  resembling 
humanity,  but  they  present  a  mixture  of  man  with 
animals,  of  animals  together,  in  which  the  most  re¬ 
pulsive  features  of  each  species  are  artistically  com¬ 
bined.  A  lion’s  head  stands  upon  a  jackal’s  body, 
with  eagle’s  claws  and  a  scorpion’s  tail,  and  the 
creature  is  always  roaring,  howling,  hissing,  demand¬ 
ing  rebellious  souls  to  torture  or  destroy.  The  leaders 
of  these  monsters,  the  servants  of  Allat,  are  called 
pestilence,  fever,  the  south-west  wind.  Allat  herself 
is,  perhaps,  more  hideous  than  the  people  over  whom 
she  reigns.  She  has  a  woman’s  body,  clothed  with 
hair  and  ill-proportioned,  a  grimacing  lion’s  head,  with 
the  wings  and  claws  of  a  bird  of  prey.  In  each  hand 
she  brandishes  a  large  serpent,  an  animated  javelin, 
which  unmercifully  bites  and  poisons  the  enemy.  Her 
two  children  are  lions’  cnbs^  which  she  nurses  herself. 
She  travels  through  her  empire,  not  riding  upon  a 
horse,  but  standing  or  kneeling  upon  it,  so  that  she 
crushes  it  by  her  weight.  Sometimes  she  goes  and 
personally  explores  the  river  which  flows  from  the 
world  of  the  living ;  she  then  embarks  with  her  horse 
upon  a  fairy  boat,  which  moves  without  sail  or  oar. 
Its  prow  is  terminated  by  a  bird’s  beak,  the  poop  by  a 
bull’s  head  (Fig.  125).  Nothing  can  escape  from  her, 
nothing  resist  her ;  even  the  gods  cannot  enter  her 
kingdom  without  dying  like  men  and  humbly  owning 
themselves  to  be  her  slaves. 

At  last,  however,  a  time  came  when  the  human 
conscience  revolted  against  this  savage  dogma,  which 
condemned  all  mankind  to  perpetual  misery  in  utter 
darkness.  What !  kings  who  were  good  and  kind  to 
their  people,  heroes  who  destroyed  monsters,  soldiers 
who  unhesitatingly  sacrificed  their  lives  on  the  field  of 
battle,  are  to  perish  in  the  same  obscurity  as  tyrants, 
slaves,  and  cowards  ?  Their  power,  their  courage,  their 


250 


DEATH  AND  THE  FUNERAL. 


virtues  could  only  shorten  their  sojourn  in  our  world 
of  light,  and  precipitate  them  to  the  bottom  of  hell 
before  their  time  !  It  was  then  believed  that  the  gods, 
separating  them  from  the  crowd,  welcomed  them  into  a 
fertile  island  lightened  by  the  sun,  and  separated  from 
our  world  by  the  unfordable  river  which  leads  to  hell. 
There  grows  the  tree  and  flows  the  river  of  life ;  some 
privileged  men  occasionally  enter  it  before  death  and 
return  with  their  youthful  health  and  strength  restored 
to  them.  A  t  first  this  happy  land  was  placed  in  the 
marches  of  the  Euphrates,  towards  the  mouth  of  the 
river  ;  later  on,  when  the  country  was  better  known, 
beyond  the  sea.  Then,  as  the  discoveries  of  the  mer¬ 
chants  or  the  wars  of  the  conquerors  enlarged  the 
limits  of  the  horizon  in  which  the  first  Chaldeans  had 
confined  themselves,  the  mysterious  island  receded 
further  and  further  towards  the  west,  then  towards  the 
north,  and  finally  almost  disappeared  in  the  far  dis¬ 
tance.  At  last  the  gods  of  heaven  became  hospitable, 
and  received  heroic  souls  into  their  own  kingdom  upon 
the  summit  of  the  Mountain  of  the  World. 

This  mountain  occupies  the  southern  region  of  the 
universe  ;  one  side  of  the  starry  firmament  leans  upon 
its  summit;  the  sun  escapes  from  its  eastern  flanks 
every  morning  to  return  to  it  on  the  west.  When  a 
hero  dies  his  spirit  rises  from  the  earth  like  a  cloud 
of  dust  driven  before  the  wind  ;  as  soon  as  it  reaches 
the  region  of  clouds  the  gods  hasten  to  meet  it,  and 
greet  it  like  one  of  themselves.  ‘  Come,’  they  say, 

‘  wash  thine  hands,  purify  thine  hands ;  the  gods, 
thine  elders,  will  wash  their  hands  and  purify  their 
hands  with  thee,’  to  take  their  share  in  the  banquet  of 
immortality.  And  now,  ‘  eat  pure  food  from  pure 
dishes,  drink  pure  water  from  pure  cups,  prepare  to 
enjoy  the  peace  of  the  righteous.’  Ilea  himself,  the 
sovereign  of  the  gods,  deigns  to  assign  a  place  for  his 
guest  in  the  sacred  domains,  and  transfers  him  to  it 
with  his  own  hands  ;  he  gives  him  honey  and  fat,  and 
pours  the  water  of  life  into  his  mouth  ;  with  it  he 


DEATH  AND  THE  FUNERAL. 


251 


regains  the  power  of  speech  of  which  death  had  de¬ 
prived  him.  Yet,  as  he  reposes  upon  a  luxurious  bed, 
he  can  look  down  upon  the  earth  and  all  its  miseries. 
At  first  the  privilege  of  the  heroes,  this  future  exis¬ 
tence  has  now  become  the  general  inheritance.  Hence¬ 
forth  a  man  has  only  to  live  well  upon  earth — and  by 
living  well  I  mean  to  be  devout  towards  the  gods, 
regular  in  the  celebration  of  their  festivals,  ofiering 
to  them  many  prayers  and  gifts — and  he  will  receive 
a  welcome  on  the  other  side  of  the  tomb.  Merodach 
and  his  wife,  Zirpanitum,  will  ‘make  him  live  again 
he  will  go,  come,  speak,  eat,  drink  as  he  likes,  enjoy 
the  sun  and  the  light.  The  kingdom  of  Allat  now 
contains  only  the  past  generations,  those  who  have 
lived  and  died  in  the  earliest  ages  of  the  world.  They 
are  still  there  in  the  shadow,  standing  round  the 
thrones  upon  which  the  ancient  kings  are  seated  round 
Ner,  Etana,  and  all  the  old  prediluvian  heroes.  The 
men  of  the  present  day  are  more  fortunate.  The  years 
which  they  pass  amongst  us  are  no  longer  darkened 
like  those  of  their  ancestors  by  the  ever-present  image 
of  eternal  night.  Piety  will  render  them  worthy  of 
heaven,  repentance  will  blot  out  their  sins,  and  the 
gods  will  receive  them  into  their  own  dwellings. 

The  tomb  of  Iddina  is  provided  with  food  and 
furniture.  This  is  more  from  respect  for  the  ancient 
rites,  than  from  any  belief  in  the  ideas  which  they 
formerly  expressed.  Yo  doubt  many  of  the  people, 
and  even  many  of  the  higher  classes,  still  imagine  that 
the  soul  dwells  near  the  corpse  and  regales  itself  upon 
the  food  lavished  upon  the  dead.  But  Iddina’s  rela¬ 
tions  do  not  share  the  popular  creed.  They  know  that 
the  soul  of  their  beloved  one  has  flown  to  heaven 
during  the  funeral.  They  feel  sure  that  the  benevolent 
gods  have  protected  its  flight  and  preserved  it  from 
the  malignant  demons.  When  they  shall  also  leave 
this  earth  they  hojre  to  meet  it  upon  the  summit 
of  the  Mountain  of  the  World ,  amongst  the  ‘silver 
clouds.’ 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


THE  ROYAL  CHASE. 

Assurbanipal :  his  taste  for  pleasures  and  the  chase  —  The  state  of 
affairs  in  Elam:  the  nephews  of  King  Teumman  take  refuge  in 
Assyria  —  The  start  for  the  lion  hunt:  the  gazelles,  stags,  the 
wild  asses  —  Crossing  the  river— The  camp,  the  royal  tent  —  The 
auroch  and  the  auroch  hunt — The  sacrifice  upon  the  return  from 
the  chase — The  lion  of  Assyria  and  lion-hunting  in  the  marshes — 
Hunting  the  captive  lion  in  the  royal  parks  —  An  embassy  from 
Teumman. 

Assurbavipal  was  young  when  he  ascended  the  throne. 
He  was  not  yet  thirty  years  old  when  Esarhaddon,  his 
father,  chose  him  from  amongst  his  sons,  and  proclaimed 
him  as  his  successor  at  Nineveh  in  the  presence  of  the 
nobles  and  of  the  army :  the  following  year  he  became 
king.  He  is  tall,  vigorous,  and  well  made ;  his  face  is 
wide,  the  eves  are  boldly  opened,  the  nose  straight,  the 
mouth  hard  and  proud,  the  hair  long  and  wavy.  His 
predecessors  were  passionately  fond  of  war  and  of  con¬ 
quest  ;  they  lived,  and  sometimes,  like  Esarhaddon, 
they  died  in  camp.  Assurbanipal  does  not  care  to  put 
himself  into  harness.  He  usually  leaves  to  his  generals 
the  management  of  all  military  operations,  and  as  they 
have  been  trained  in  a  good  school,  the  affairs  of  the 
country  do  not  suffer.  It  is  not  that  he  is  incapable  of 
commanding  and  fighting  like  any  one  else,  if  neces¬ 
sary,  hut  he  is  naturally  indolent,  voluptuous,  devout, 
fond  of  luxury  and  the  arts,  still  a  bold  rider  and 
mighty  hunter  before  the  gods. 

He  has  come  to  Dur-Sarginu  for  some  weeks,  hoping 
to  escape  the  annoyances  of  politics,  but  in  vain  ;  at 
Dur-Sarginu,  as  at  Nineveh,  his  position  as  king  weighs 


THE  ROYAL  CHASE. 


253 


heavily  upon  him.  The  messengers  that  arrive  morning 
and  evening  from  all  parts  of  his  empire  always  dis¬ 
turb  his  rest  and  spoil  his  pleasures  by  their  news. 
Babylon  is  moving  secretly;  the  Urartu  are  stirring 
and  threatening  the  northern  frontier ;  Egypt  is  always 
intriguing  and  privately  stirring  up  the  small  princes 
of  Judea,  of  Moab,  and  the  Philistines  ;  the  Cimmerians, 
vanquished  by  Ardys,  son  of  Gyges,  and  by  his  Lydians, 
appear  likely  to  invade  Cilicia ;  the  Medes  have  killed 
one  of  their  chieftains  who  was  devoted  to  Assyria, 
and  have  replaced  him  by  one  of  his  cousins,  whose 
hostility  is  manifest ;  Elam  is  arming  openly,  and  the 
king  is  only  waiting  for  a  pretext  to  enter  upon  a 
campaign.  Teumman  is  a  ‘  devil  incarnate,’  whose 
cruelty  and  pride  are  unlimited.  He  had  scarcely  as¬ 
cended  the  throne  when  he  wished  to  seize  and  murder 
the  children  of  his  brothers  Urtaki  and  Ummanaldash, 
who  had  reigned  before  him.  Warned  by  some  faithful 
friends,  they  fled  with  their  servants,  and  large  bands 
of  the  Elamites  accompanied  them  to  Assyria.  Assur- 
banipal  welcomed  them  kindly,  partly  through  natural 
generosity,  but  greatly  through  interest.  These  young 
men  with  barbarous  names  and  uncouth  speech  — 
Ummanigas,  Ummanappa,  Tammaritu,  Kudourru,  Paru 
—  are  the  legitimate  heirs  to  the  Susian  throne;  they 
still  have  numerous  partisans  in  the  country  who  would 
certainly  revolt  if  they  were  supported,  and  who,  in 
case  of  war,  would  probably  cause  a  diversion,  which 
would  be  greatly  in  favour  of  the  Assyrian  army.  In 
the  meantime  Assurbanipal  receives  them  with  the 
greatest  hospitality,  and  treats  them  like  princes  of  his 
own  family  rather  than  like  strangers.  He  assigns  to 
each  of  them  houses,  a  suite,  a  sufficient  income,  and 
almost  royal  state ;  he  frequently  invites  them  to  his 
table,  and  to-morrow  he  will  take  them  to  hunt  lions 
beyond  the  Zab,  in  the  direction  of  the  Median 
mountains. 

The  lion  is  not  found  now  in  the  vicinity  of  great 


254 


THE  ROYAL  CHASE. 


cities,  where  they  formerly  abounded.  They  must  be 
pursued  far  into  the  country ;  and  the  hunting  expe¬ 
ditions  planned  against  them  resemble  an  excursion 
into  an  enemy’s  territory  rather  than  a  hunting  party. 
The  king  takes  one  part  of  his  guard  and  starts  at 
sunrise.  Dur-Sarginu  is  surrounded  by  villas  and 
gardens,  watered  by  canals  supplied  by  the  Khosr. 
The  procession,  crowded  between  the  walls  which 
border  the  road,  becomes  elongated  and  seems  inter¬ 
minable ;  however,  the  houses  soon  become  more 
scattered,  the  clumps  of  trees  lighter,  cultivation  ceases, 
meadows  commence,  and  the  small  army  of  sportsmen 
can  easily  deploy,  as  though  in  battle  order. 

From  thence  to  the  banks  of  the  Zab  the  ride  is 
charming,  the  grass  is  abundant,  and  the  sun  warms 
the  fields,  whilst  it  does  not  yet  scorch  them.  The 
undulating  plain  extends  to  the  horizon,  verdant  and 
perfumed.  The  flowers  are  so  thick  in  places,  and  so 
close  to  each  other,  that  they  might  be  taken  for  a 
coloured  carpet  spread  over  the  ground ;  the  dogs  as 
they  run  amongst  them  become  striped  with  yellow, 
pink,  and  blue.  Every  moment  a  frightened  hare  or  a 
covey  of  partridges  rises  almost  under  the  horses’  feet. 
The  herds  of  gazelles  and  wild  goats  which  graze  in 
the  distance  become  anxious  ;  they  raise  their  heads, 
scent  the  wind,  look  on  every  side  for  one  moment, 
then  with  a  sudden  movement  scamper  away  and  are 
lost  in  the  horizon.  These  animals  run  so  fast  and  so 
long  that  the  swiftest  hounds  can  rarely  overtake  them. 
However,  a  few  greyhounds  are  slipped  against  them, 
and  accidentally  start  a  band  of  wild  asses  (Fig.  129). 
The  wild  ass  is  a  very  pretty  animal,  with  grey,  shining 
hair,  and  such  rapid  paces  that  it  easily  outstrips  the 
horses.  It  utters  a  cry,  gives  a  kick,  and  gallops  out 
of  range,  then  stops  to  see  who  comes  ;  as  soon  as  the 
enemy  approaches,  it  starts  again,  then  stops,  restarts, 
and  continues  the  same  manoeuvres  without  any 
fatigue  as  long  as  it  is  followed.  Twenty  horsemen 


TIIE  ROYAL  CHASE. 


255 


start  in  pursuit,  less  in  the  hope  of  catching  them  than 
to  breathe  their  horses  and  enjoy  the  pleasure  of 
galloping  across  the  fields.  In  returning  they  have  the 


good  luck  to  surprise  a  family  of  deer  that  were  quietly 
feeding  in  a  small  hollow ;  an  old  stag,  pierced  by  two 
arrows,  bravely  turns  upon  the  dogs,  and  his  resist¬ 
ance  gives  the  young  fawns  time  to  escape. 


Fig.  130. — Assurbanipal  and  his  Suite. 


Assurbanipal  never  deigns  to  pause  for  such  small 
game.  He  slowly  drives  across  the  plain,  upright, 
impassive  in  his  state  chariot  (Fig.  130).  A  large 
sunshade  embroidered  with  red  and  blue  shelters  him 


256 


THE  ROYAL  CHASE. 


from  the  sun.  The  coachman,  who  sits  to  the  right, 
regulates  the  horses’  steps  so  as  to  avoid  jolting  as 
much  as  possible ;  two  eunuchs,  clinging  to  the  side 
of  the  chariot  with  one  hand,  wave  their  large  fly- 
flaps  with  the  other.  The  chariots  belonging  to  the 
Susian  princes  follow  next,  then  those  of  the  viziers, 
then  a  body  of  lancers  on  horseback ;  pedestrians,  the 
trains  of  dogs,  the  men  in  attendance,  the  mules  laden 
with  provisions  or  necessaries  for  the  sjDort,  close  the 
line.  The  party  halt  for  one  hour  in  the  middle  of 
the  day,  and  rest  in  an  improvised  camp  in  the  even¬ 
ing  near  a  torrent  still  swollen  by  the  melting  snows. 


Fig.  131. — The  King  crosses  the  Stream  in  a  Boat,  the  Horses 
swim  behind. 


On  the  morrow,  towards  sunset,  it  reaches  the  Zab 
almost  unexpectedly,  so  completely  is  the  river  con¬ 
cealed  by  its  deep  banks,  in  the  midst  of  this  level 
plain  where  nothing  betrays  its  presence. 

Messengers  had  been  dispatched  in  advance,  so 
that  everything  was  prepared  for  the  crossing.  As- 
surbanipal  and  the  Susian  princes  embark  upon  two 
boats.  The  riders  crowd  pell-mell  into  fishing  barques. 
The  horses  swim  over,  held  by  the  grooms  or  fastened 
to  the  boats  (Fig.  131).  The  foot  soldiers  always 
carry  a  large  empty  skin.  They  inflate  it  (Fig.  132), 
tie  up  the  opening,  and  throw  themselves  into  the 


THE  ROYAL  CHASE. 


257 


water  with  it.  Half  carried,  half  swimming,  they  soon 
cross  a  river  without  laying  aside  their  weapons  (Fig. 
133).  In  about  half 
an  hour  the  river  is 
crossed.  The  camp 
is  fixed  a  little  fur¬ 
ther  away,  upon  a 
t,  sandy  spot,  with 
sentinels  and  ad¬ 
vanced  posts  as  in 
time  of  war.  The 
majority  of  the 
troops  hastily  pitch 
tents  or  sleep  in  the 
open  air  as  well  as 
they  can.  A  little 
dry  wood,  brought 
from  I)ur  -  Sarginu, 
some  dried  grass 
hastily  collected  in 
the  vicinity,  and  in  a  few  moments  a  fire  is  kindled. 
The  saucepan  soon  boils  under  the  watchful  eye  of  a 
comrade,  or  of  one  of  the  women  who  accompany  the 

soldiers,  and  all 
the  men  who  are 
not  on  duty  eat 
and  drink  at  their 
ease,  seated  in 
groups  of  three 
or  four.  Each 
nobleman  has  his 
own  tent  pitched 
near  to  the  royal 
pavilion.  The 
latter  is  a  kind  of 
temporary  palace 

of  rather  complicated  construction.  Ten  posts  are 
placed  in  the  ground  in  two  parallel  lines,  united  at 
18 


Fig.  132. — Foot  Soldiers  blowing  out 
their  Swimming  Skins. 


258 


THE  ROYAL  CHASE. 


the  top  by  cross-beams,  and  secured  upon  the  outside 
by  cords  pegged  to  the  ground,  then  over  this  frame¬ 
work  pieces  of  coarse  linen  or  bands  of  felt  are 
stretched,  closing  the  sides  (Fig.  134).  The  space 

inside  is  a  kind  of  flattened 
ellipsis.  The  central  part, 
where  the  fire  burns,  re¬ 
mains  unroofed,  so  that  the 
smoke  may  escape  easily. 
The  two  hemi-cycles  at  the 
end  are  covered  with  half= 
domes  of  linen  or  felt  of 
unequal  height,  each  sup- 
ported  by  a  branched  post. 
The  door  is  placed  at  one 


end, 


smallest  of  the  cupolas.  The 
in  an  ordinary  house- 


beneath  the 

furniture  is  the  same  as  in  an  ordinary  House — a 
folding  table  with  gazelles’  feet,  stools,  an  armchair, 
a  complete  bed.  The  vessels  for  eating  and  drinking 
are  suspended  to  the  branches  of  the  post.  Outside, 
an  altar  is  erected  to  the 


gods, 

stabk 


by 


the  side  of  a 
in  which  the 
horses  find  provender 
and  shelter  against  the 
night  chills  (Fig.  135). 

A  herd  of  cattle,  sheep, 
and  goats,  penned  be¬ 
hind  the  stable,  provide 
fresh  milk  and  meat  for 
the  royal  table  night 
and  morning.  Assur- 
banipal  is  willing  to  risk 
his  life,  but  he  will  not 
dispense  with  the  comforts  to  which  he  has  been 
accustomed  from  infancy. 

The  huntsmen  have  not  yet  found  any  traces  of  lions, 
but  they  declare  that  at  a  little  distance  to  the  north- 


THE  ROYAL  CHASE. 


259 


east  they  have  seen  some  wild  oxen.  The  auroch  has  be¬ 
come  very  rare  during  the  last  half-century.  The  kings 
of  Assyria  have  so  furiously  hunted  it  that  they  have 
almost  exterminated  the  species ;  the  specimens  seen 
from  time  to  time  in  the  plain,  either  alone  or  in  herds, 
descend  by  chance  from  the  mountains  of  Media  or 
Armenia.  Assurbanipal  receives  the  huntsmen’s  report 
with  great  pleasure,  augmented  by  the  fact  that  he  has 
never  had  an  opportunity  of  rivalling  the  prowess  of 
his  ancestors  against  the  auroch  :  he  takes  counsel  with 
some  of  the  old  officials,  who  had  hunted  with  his 
grandfather,  Sennacherib,  in  their  youth,  and  arranges 
the  details  of  his  expedition  for  the  morrow  with  as 
much  zest  as  though  he  were  planning  a  battle.  The 
pleasure  is  greater,  because  the  auroch  can  only  be 
taken  by  a  particular  stratagem.  He  is  not  dreamy 
and  gentle  like  the  domestic  ox  ;  but  he  is  extremely 
large  and  strong,  one  of  the  fleetest  and  most  cunning 
animals  in  creation,  quite  as  suspicious  at  the  approach 
of  strangers  as  dangerous  in  attack.  The  hunters, 
thei’efore,  divide  into  two  bands.  The  first  cautiously 
makes  its  way  to  the  back  of  the  troop  and  scatters  as  a 
semi-circle  behind  it ;  then,  suddenly  rushing  forward 
with  loud  cries,  it  drives  the  animals  towards  the  spot 
where  the  king  is  posted.  Assurbanipal  has  left  his 
state  chariot  in  the  camp — it  is  too  heavy  and  crowded 
with  servants.  He  goes  alone  with  his  coachman  in  a 
war  chariot,  low  and  light,  provided  with  a  lance,  bow, 
and  quiver  ;  a  horseman,  armed  with  various  weapons, 
leads  a  horse  behind  him  by  a  rein.  In  fact,  the  chariot 
is  not  suitable  for  use  at  all  times.  It  sticks  fast  in 
marshy  soil,  breaks  against  the  stones,  upsets  over 
rough,  uneven  ground,  or  at  least  jolts  so  much  that 
the  soldier,  shaken  in  his  balance,  cannot  use  his 
weapons ;  the  horse  is,  therefore,  serviceable  as  a 
supplement  to  the  chariot.  The  oxen,  disconcerted  by 
the  enemy’s  cries  and  by  the  sudden  apparition, 
hesitate  for  a  moment  before  moving.  Then  an 


260 


THE  ROYAL  CHASE. 


enormous  beast,  of  formidable  appearance,  lowers  its 
head,  bellowing  with  rage,  and  rushes  upon  the  nearest 
horseman  so  quickly  that  he  has  not  time  to  avoid  it; 
the  enormous  creature  raises  beast  and  man  with  one 
blow  from  his  horns,  and  throws  them  into  the  air  as 
easily  as  if  they  were  a  bundle  of  hay,  then  crossing 
the  line  of  the  galloping  horsemen,  he  flies  towards 
the  mountains,  no  one  daring  to  follow  his  retreat. 
The  remainder  of  the  troop  scamper  off  in  a  different 
direction,  where  the  plain  seems  empty,  and  find  them¬ 
selves  in  the  midst  of  the  hunters.  In  less  time  than 


we  can  speak,  three  of  the  bulls  are  rolling  on  the 
ground,  pierced  with  several  arrows  ;  the  four  others, 
but  slightly  wounded,  turn  short  round  and  gallop 
towards  the  river.  Assurbanipal  follows  the  largest  of 
them,  which,  he  is  almost  sure,  is  wounded  in  the 
shoulder ;  then  gradually  he  overtakes  it,  skilfully 
drives  his  chariot  beside  it  without  checking  speed,  and, 
laying  aside  his  bow,  grasps  one  of  the  poignards  he 
wears  in  his  belt.  With  one  hand  he  seizes  one  of  the 
animal’s  horns,  with  the  other  he  plunges  his  weapon 
into  his  neck  ;  the  short,  wide  blade  divides  the  spine, 
betw'een  the  neck  and  shoulder,  the  bull  falls  like  a 


1'HE  ROYAL  CHASE. 


261 


stone  (Fig.  136).  A  flight  of  arrows  arrests  the 
fugitives  before  they  can  reach  the  water  ;  the  whole 
herd  is  killed,  except  the  old  hull  that  escaped  at  first. 

The  return  to  the  camp  is  a  triumphal  inarch.  As 
soon  as  the  sentinels  signal  the  arrival  of  the  party, 
soldiers,  slaves,  women,  all  who  are  not  bound  by 
etiquette  or  military  duty,  hurry  to  meet  it  and  form 
two  lines,  watching  the  procession.  The  sight  of  the 
seven  hulls,  each  carried  by  five  or  six  men,  almost 
causes  them  to  forget  the  respect  due  to  royalty.  They 
exclaim  upon  the  size  of  the  animals,  the  strength  of 
their  horns,  the  savage  aspect  given  by  their  manes; 
they  praise  their  master’s  skill,  and  loudly  thank  the 


gods  who  have  favoured  him  with  such  rare  and  terrible 
game.  Assurbanipal  has  left  his  chariot  in  front  of  his 
tent,  and  now  prepares  to  return  thanks  for  his  success  to 
the  lord  Assur  and  the  lady  Ishtar  of  Arbela  (Fig.  137], 
Two  priests  with  their  harps  are  waiting  to  commence  the 
hymn  of  praise.  The  bearers  place  the  aurochs  on  the 
ground  and  arrange  them  side  by  side  in  a  single  line. 
The  king,  accompanied  by  his  fly-flap  and  sunshade- 
bearers,  stands  on  the  right,  the  bow  in  his  left  hand. 
He  takes  the  cup  full  of  sacramental  wine,  which  the 
vizier  presents  to  him,  touches  it  with  his  lips,  then 
partly  empties  it  over  the  victims  whilst  the  musicians 
play.  The  same  evening  an  eunuch  will  start  for 


262 


THE  ROYAL  CHASE. 


Nineveh  to  have  the  new  exploit  graven  upon  stone.  The 
picture  will  display  the  departure,  the  chase,  the  death, 
the  solemn  entry,  and  an  inscription  placed  above  the 
last  scene  will  tell  posterity  the  name  of  the  victor : 

‘  I,  Assurbanipal,  king  of  multitudes,  king  of  Assyria, 
whose  power  is  secured  by  Assur  and  Beltis,  I  have 
killed  seven  aurochs ;  I  have  strung  the  mighty  how  of 
Ishtar,  cpieen  of  battles,  against  them,  I  have  made  an 
offering  over  them  and  poured  out  wine  upon  them.’* 
The  flesh  and  the  fat  are  not  very  good,  particularly 
when  the  animal  is  old,  but  the  head  and  skin  are  care¬ 
fully  removed  and  prepared,  then  deposited  in  the  royal 
treasury.  The  ancient  kings  of  Assyria  highly  prized 
trophies  of  this  kind.  Tiglath  -  Pileser  I.  boasted 
nearly  six  hundred  years  ago  of  having  brought  a  large 
number  back  from  Syria,  with  elephants’  tusks  and  a 
Nile  crocodile,  which  Pharaoh  had  given  him.  ‘I  even 
took  some  young  aurochs,’  he  added,  ‘  and  made  herds 
of  them.’  This  was  a  preserve  which  he  wished  to 
secure  for  future  occasions,  for  he  certainly  never 
intended  to  break  these  gigantic  brutes  in  for  harness, 
nor  to  reduce  them  to  the  condition  of  domestic  cattle. 
No  doubt  later  on  other  sovereigns  endeavoured,  if  not 
to  tame  them,  at  least  to  keep  them  in  parks ;  but  none 
of  their  attempts  appear  to  have  been  successful,  and 
we  do  not  find  in  any  of  the  annals  of  Assyria  that 
herds  of  aurochs  were  maintained,  either  born  in 
captivity  or  simply  preserved  long  in  the  royal  parks. 
A 1  ready  their  name  for  many  contemporaries  is  a  word 
that  has  lost  it*  exact  meaning.  They  no  longer  know 
whether  it  designates  a  real  animal  or  one  of  those 
fantastic  monsters  that  peopled  the  world  in  the  earliest 
days  of  the  creation.  The  commemorative  bas-reliefs 
sculptured  upon  the  walls  of  the  palaces  will  soon  be 

*  As  yet  no  auroch  hunts  have  been  found  upon  Assurbauipal’s 
monuments;  all  the  preceding  details  are  taken  from  the  pictures  of 
Sennacherib.  The  text  of  the  inscription  is  taken  from  the  bas-reliefs, 
rvhich  represent  the  king  hunting  the  lion  ;  I  have  replaced  the  lion 
by  the  auroch. 


THE  ROYAL  CHASE. 


263 


the  only  mementoes  of  their  real  form.*  Two  days 
passed  in  a  vain  search  for  lions  ;  on  the  third,  when  the 
king  was  thinking  that  he  had  better  move  the  camp, 
a  fellah,  still  trembling  with  his  fright,  came  in  and 
warned  him  that,  the  same  morning  two  lions  had 
robbed  him  of  a  sheep  in  the  outskirts  of  the  village  he 
inhabited.  The  lion  of  Assyria  and  Chaldea  is1  smaller 
and  less  tierce  than  the  lion  of  Africa.  It  is  easily 
tamed  when  young,  and  as  it  grows  older  retains  its 
affection  for  the  master  who  feeds  it  and  treats  it  well. 
The  kings  always  keep  one  in  the  palace  for  their  own 
amusement,  hut  we  do  not  find  it  trained  to  follow 
them  into  battle  and  fight  against  their  enemies,  like 
the  lions  of  the  Pharaohs  of  Egvpt  so  often  do.f  In 
a  wild  state  it  inhabits  the  marshes  on  the  holders  of 
the  river  or  canals.  By  day  it  crouches  in  the  thickets, 
and  leaves  them  only  at  the  last  extremity ;  at  night 
it  goes  in  search  of  food,  trying  to  surprise  a  gazelle 
or  a  wild  ass.  When  game  is  scarce  it  prowls  around 
human  habitations  ;  a  sheep,  an  ox,  a  horse,  a  dog, 
anything  will  do  for  it,  but  it  rarely  attacks  a  man. 
The  lion  is  hunted  with  large  dogs,  supported  by  well- 
mounted  riders ;  but  the  dogs  and  horses  must  be 
trained  first,  or  the  sight  and  smell  of  the  animal  scares 
them  away.  The  dogs  used  for  this  purpose  are  large 
mastiffs,  with  rough  tangled  coats,  black  upon  the  body, 
reddish  upon  the  head  and  limbs  ;  the  tail  is  curved,  the 
lip  pendant,  the  jaws  wide  (Fig.  138)  ;  it  is  said  that 
when  they  have  fastened  on  their  prey  they  will  let 
themselves  be  torn  in  pieces,  but  they  will  not  let  go 
their  hold. 

Assurbanipal,  delighted  with  this  unexpected  good 
luck,  at  once  orders  the  marshes,  in  which  the  maraud- 

*  The  name  rimou,  Hebr.  rem,  has,  in  fact,  been  misunderstood 
in  the  few  pages  in  the  Bible  in  which  it  is  mentioned  ;  before  the 
cuneiform  texts  were  deciphered  it  was  usually  translated  licorne, 
unicorn. 

+  See  p.  174,  the  account  of  the  tame  lion  belonging  to  Itameses  II., 
and  its  share  in  the  battle  of  Kadesh. 


264 


THE  ROYAL  CHASE. 


ing  lions  have  taken  refuge  with  their  prey,  to  be 
surrounded,  then  pauses  a  moment  to  examine  them 
before  he  enters.  A  spongy  soil,  rather  below  the 

level  of  the  plain  ; 
at  first  a  few  pools 
of  stagnant  water 
scattered  here  and 
there,  then  some 
clumps  of  reeds 
and  water-plants, 
and  a  real  forest 
of  giant  rushes 
twelve  or  fifteen 
feet  high.  One 
or  two  p  a  th  s 
beaten  by  the 
fishermen,  who 
venture  into  these 
dangerous  places, 
wind  through  the 
thicket ;  a  river 
passes  through  it 
and  separates  into 
ten  branches,  of 
which  several  ap¬ 
pear  to  be  navig¬ 
able  and  flow  into  the  Zab  at  a  little  distance  away. 
Assurbanipal  places  a  boat  full  of  soldiers  across  the 
widest  of  the  streams.  Their  duty  is  to  cut  off  the 
lion’s  retreat  if  it  tries  to  escape  and  swim  across  to 
the  marshes  and  the  plain  beyond.  He  places  the 
lines  of  beaters,  then  mounts  a  horse,  the  quiver  at  his 
back,  the  bow  in  his  hand,  and  commands  the  dogs, 
hitherto  held  in  leash  by  a  keeper,  to  be  loosed.  The 
brave  animals  at  once  rush  into  the  thicket,  closely 
followed  by  the  king  and  the  grooms,  who  carry  his 
weapons  and  lead  his  second  horse. 

A  loud  having  sounds  above  all  the  voices,  then  the 


Fig.  138.- 


-The  Dog  used  for  bunting 
the  Lions. 


THE  ROYAL  CHASE. 


265 


angry  roar  of  a  wild  beast,  harsh  and  short.  As  he 
approaches  one  end  of  a  large  clearing,  the  king  per¬ 
ceives  two  lions  at  the  other  extremity,  both  slowly 
retreating,  followed  at  a  respectful  distance  by  half-a- 
dozen  dogs.  An  arrow  shot  at  a  gallop  strikes  the  lioness 
between  the  ribs  (Fig.  139)  ;  as  she  turns  to  spring,  a 


Fig.  139. — The  King  shoots  an  Arrow  at  the  Lion  w liilst  in 
full  gallop. 


second  pierces  her  shoulder,  and  a  third  enters  the 
spine  above  the  loins.  She  falls,  then  rising  upon  her 
fore  paws,  and  painfully  dragging  her  paralysed  hind 
quarters,  she  waits  for  the 
attack,  her  neck  firm,  her 
head  threatening  (Fig.  140). 

A  lance-thrust  in  the  jaw 
kills  "her  as  she  moves.  At 
first  her  companion  seemed 
inclined  to  defend  her,  but 
his  courage  failed  at  ihe 
sight  of  this  sudden  exe-  Fig.  140.—  Death  of  the  Lioness, 
cution,  and  four  arrows 

striking  him  at  the  same  time  completely  disconcerted 
him  (Fig.  141).  He  bounds  into  the  thicket  and  dis¬ 
appears,  the  dogs  following.  Assurbanipal  rushes 
after  them,  but  the  soil  soon  gives  way  under  the 
weight,  his  horse  sinks  up  to  the  pasterns  in  the  mud, 
and  can  scarcely  free  himself.  The  king  hastily  dis- 


266 


THE  ROYAL  CHASE. 


mounts,  gives  the  reins  to  a  groom,  and  tries  to  follow 
on  foot  to  the  river’s  bank. 

The  baying  of  the  hounds,  so  loud  but  one  moment 
ago,  is  now  lost  in  the  cover,  and  he  has  nothing  to 

guide  him.  At 
every  step  he  slips 
upon  a  leaf,  stum¬ 
bles  against  a  root, 
or  entangles  his 
feet  in  the  young 
shoots  and  fallen 
branches.  The 
Fig.  141. — The  Wounded  Lion.  rushes  surround 

him  so  that  he  can¬ 
not  see  anything ;  perhaps  the  lion  is  there,  almost 
touching  him,  without  his  knowledge.  And,  in  fact, 
a  sudden  opening  in  the  green  mass  which  imprisons 
him  suddenly  shows  him  the  beast,  standing  on  the 
bank  but  twenty  steps  away,  strongly  defined  against 
the  reflecting  bottom  of  the  river,  absorbed  in  the 
contemplation  of  the  boat  which  bars  his  passage, 
lie  is  evidently  questioning  in  his  lion’s  brain  which 
is  his  wisest  course  :  to  give  battle  upon  the  water  and 
force  a  crossing,  or  to  turn 
back  into  the  thickets  of 
the  marsh.  The  arrival 
of  the  king  decides  the 
question,  and  leaves  him 
but  the  choice  of  two 
enemies.  His  rage  at 
being  tracked  so  closely 
revives  his  spirits.  His 
tail  lashes  his  sides,  he 
wrinkles  his  face,  shakes 
his  mane,  and  with  un¬ 
sheathed  claws  and  open 
mouth  rises  upon  his  hind  legs  to  end  the  battle  at  one 
blow.  Assurbanipal,  who  was  waiting  for  this  moment, 


Fig.  142. — The  King  kills  the 
Lion  with  his  Lance. 


THE  ROYAL  CHASE. 


267 


at  once  seizes  liis  ear  with  the  right  hand,  and  plunges 
a  lance  into  his  breast  (Fig.  142).  The  weapon,  driven 
home,  pierces  the  body  through,  touches  the  heart, 
and  comes  out  behind  the  shoulder.  He  proves  to  be  a 
savage  old  lion,  of  extraordinary  size,  about  six  feet 
long  from  the  tip  of  the  nose  to  the  root  of  the  tail, 
and  it  would  be  hard  work  to  drag  him  throVigh  the 
marshes.  Fortunately  the  boat  is  there;  the  lion  is 
carried  to  it,  and  suspended  to  the  poop  by  the  paws 
tied  together,  the  head  and  tail  falling  over  the  water. 
Then  the  king  embarks  and  gives  the  order  to  row 
back  to  the  Zab,  so  as  to  return  to  the  camp.  The 


channel,  wide  enough  in  some  places  to  form  pools,  is 
very  narrow  in  others.  In  leaving  one  of  the  narrow 
points  a  loud  roar  startles  them  all,  and  a  large  wounded 
lion  springs  from  the  reeds,  clears  the  six  feet  which 
separate  him  from  the  boat  at  one  bound,  and  clings 
with  his  claws  to  the  edge  of  the  vessel  (Fig.  146). 
But  the  king  has  already  greeted  him  with  an  arrow 
full  in  the  chest ;  the  crew  have  set  upon  him  with 
spears,  he  is  killed  immediately,  then  hauled  up,  and 
hung  on  the  other  side  of  the  poop  as  a  pendant  to  the 
first  lion.  The  three  bodies  are  carried  back  to  the 
camp  (Fig.  144),  then  presented  to  Ishtar  with  the 


268 


1  H  E  ROYAL  CHASE. 


same  ceremonies  that  hacl  celebrated  the  triumph  over 
the  wild  bulls,  and  the  sculptors  were  ordered  to  repre¬ 
sent  the  hand-to-hand  struggle  of  the  sovereign  and 


his  savage 


foe.  ‘  I,  Assurbanipal,  1 


king 


Fig.  144. — The  Lion  tnken  back  to 
the  Camp. 


of  peoples, 
of  Assyria, 
alone  on  foot,  in 
my  majesty,  I 
seized  a  lion  of  the 
desert  by  the  ear ; 
and  by  the  mercy 
of  Assur  and  Ish- 
tar,  queen  of  battles, 
I  pierced  its  loins 
with  my  lance,  with 
mine  own  hands.’ 

But  the  chase 
is  not  always  so 
successful,  and 
often  in  these  later  years  the  king  has  left  Nineveh  with 
much  pomp,  only  to  return  with  empty  hands  after  a 
fortnight  or  three  weeks  of  useless  riding  to  and  fro, 
without  seeing  anything  but  gazelles  and  wild  goats. 
The  times  are  past  when  the  old  Tiglath-Pileser  could 
boast  of  having  killed  one  hundred  and  twenty  adult 
lions,  sometimes  following  them  on  foot,  sometimes  on 
horseback,  or  even  in  his  chariot.  Now,  probably,  the 
whole  of  Mesopotamia  does  not  contain  so  many,  and 
every  expedient  is  tried  to  procure  them.  They  are 
sometimes  imported  from  those  fortunate  countries 
which  possess  more  than  their  princes  care  to  have — 
from  Chaldea,  Arabia,  Elam,  and  even  from  Africa. 
The  purveyors  have  invented  various  methods  of  taking 
(hem  alive.  Here  is  one  of  the  most  simple:  A  large, 
deep  pit  is  dug,  and  edged  with  a  low  wall  of  dry 
stones,  as  though  it  were  an  ordinary  fold  ;  then  a 
strong  post  is  placed  in  the  centre,  its  top  showing  a 
little  above  the  wall,  and  a  living  lamb  is  fastened  to 
it.  The  lion,  attracted  by  the  plaintive  bleatings  of 


THE  ROYAL  CHASE. 


269 


the  poor  little  creature,  looks  at  the  wall,  easily  jumps 
it,  and  lands  at  the  bottom  of  the  hole.  The  hunters, 
who  are  concealed  near,  run  up,  and  allow  it  to 
exhaust  itself  in  useless  efforts  to  escape,  then  to  get 
hungry,  and  finally  after  some  time  they  lower  with 
cords  an  open  cage,  in  which  they  have  placed  a  piece 
of  roast  meat.  As  soon  as  the  lion  has  gone  in  Vo  feed, 
they  close  it,  and  haul  their  prisoner  to  the  surface, 
still  furious  and  stupefied  by  its  misfortune. 

The  lions,  forwarded  to  Assyria  by  the  nearest 
route,  are  sometimes  kept  in  large  walled  parks,  in 
which  they  enjoy  relative  liberty,  herds  of  goats  being 
provided  for  their  food.  From  time  to  time  the  king 
comes  to  enjoy  the  amusement  of  the  chase.  Often, 
also,  the  cage  is  placed  in  the  centi’e  of  a  plain,  sur¬ 
rounded  by  an  unbroken  line  of  soldiers ;  it  is  still  a 
park,  but  temporary,  and 
the  wall  is  of  men,  not 
of  brick  or  stones.  The 
square  formed,  the  keeper 
raises  the  trapdoor,  and 
takes  refuge  in  an  open 
railed  safety-box  built  for 
him  on  the  roof  of  the 
cage  (Fig.  145).  The 
animal  rushes  out,  stret¬ 
ches  itself,  looks  round, 
then  sees  the  enemy  and 
comprehends  the  situation.  This  imitation  hunt  is 
copied  from  the  real  expeditions,  the  same  weapons 
are  used,  the  same  methods  of  attack  by  arrows, 
spears,  on  foot,  on  horseback,  or  in  chariots,  but 
the  lion  has  not  the  right  to  escape.  Whenever  it 
tries  to  break  the  line  the  soldiers  repulse  it,  and 
force  it  to  return  and  encounter  the  attacks  of  the 
sovereign.  The  fate  of  the  auroch  awaits  the  lion, 
and  the  time  draws  near  when  the  sculptures  will  be 
the  only  testimony  to  the  careless  bravery  with  which 


Rig.  145. — The  Lion  Leaving 
its  Cage. 


270 


THE  ROYAL  CHASE. 


the  Assyrian  kings  pursued  it,  even  in  its  lair.  It  is 
doubtless  written  in  the  book  of  destiny  that  Assur- 
hanipal  will  not  complete  the  campaign  so  brilliantly 
commenced.  Whilst  he  dedicated  his  lions  to  Ishtar, 
a  special  dispatch  from  his  grand  vizier,  who  remained 
at  Dur-Sarginu  during  the  expedition,  to  transact  the 
royal  business,  begged  him  to  return  immediately.  An 
ambassador  from  Elam  had  just  appeared  on  the  frontier 
coming  from  Teumman.  He  requested  an  audience,  and 
whilst  the  demand  was  made  in  the  most  correct  terms, 
it  contained  no  allusion  to  the  object  of  the  visit.  But 
no  one  doubted  that  he  had  received  orders  to  demand 
the  extradition  of  the  princes,  and  the  people  that 
accompany  him  made  no  secret  of  the  fact.  ‘  Teum¬ 
man  knows,’  they  say,  ‘the  friendship  which  Assur- 
banipal  has  conceived  for  the  nephews  of  Urtaki,  and 
would  he  sorry  to  disturb  it.  lie  does  not  wish  that 
they  should  be  entirely  restored  to  him,  the  bodies 
may  he  kept ;  he  only  wishes  for  the  heads,  and  will 
hold  Assyria  free  to  do  as  she  likes  with  the  rest.’  To 
refuse  the  audience  meant  an  immediate  declaration  of 
war,  and  the  grand  vizier  dare  not  assume  so  much 
responsibility.  Assurbanipal  is  less  annoyed  than 
might  be  supposed  at  the  message  which  recalls  him. 
The  success  of  his  expedition  has  excited  him,  and  the 
war  with  Elam  does  not  alarm  him  any  more  than  the 
war  with  the  lion.  lie  returns  to  the  city  with  the 
same  order  and  with  the  same  pomp  as  he  left  it.  The 
Susian  princes,  who  know  that  their  destiny  is  in  the 
balance,  anxiously  watch  his  face,  and  joyfully  notice 
that  it  does  not  betray  any  mental  preoccupation. 
The  soldiers,  who  see  in  war  a  new  opportunity  of 
pillage  and  the  rapid  acquirement  of  wealth,  openly 
rejoice  at  the  thought  of  a  campaign,  of  which  the 
end  is  not  even  doubtful,  and  the  good  people  of  Dur- 
Sarginu,  who  cheered  the  king  when  he  started,  greet 
his  return  yet  more  warmly  as  they  see  the  aurochs 
and  lions  carried  home. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


THE  ROYAL  AUDIENCE:  PREPARING  FOR  WAR. 

The  Assyrian  court ;  its  luxury,  and  in  what  respects  it  differs  from 
Egyptian  luxury  —  The  king’s  costume  —  Ttie  embroidery  :  through 
it  the  forms  of  Assyrian  art  are  diffused  over  the  world  —  The 
jewels — The  king’s  ministers  and  their  functions  :  the  Tartan  and 
the  Li  mmou — The  embassy  from  Elam:  the  various  races  from 
Elam — Declaration  of  war — The  Assyrian  army:  its  method  of 
making  war — The  dangers  of  a  coalition,  and  the  means  used  to 
prevent  it — The  dispatches  forwarded  to  the  governors  and  mili¬ 
tary  commanders. 

The  day  fixed  for  the  audience  lias  arrived.  Assur- 
banipal  wished  that  the  Elamite  ambassadors  should 
receive  every  mark  of  consideration,  and  the  whole 
court  is  assembled  to  do  them  honour.  The  Assyrian 
royalty  is  perhaps  the  most  luxurious  of  our  century.  Its 
victories  and  conquests,  uninterrupted  for  one  hundred 
years,  have  enriched  it  with  the  spoil  of  twenty  peoples. 
Sargon  has  taken  what  remained  to  the  Hittites ; 
Sennacherib  overcame  Chaldea,  and  the  treasures  of 
Babylon  were  transferred  to  his  coffers ;  Esarhad- 
don  and  Assurbanipal  himself  have  pillaged  Egypt 
and  her  great  cities,  Sais,  Memphis,  and  Thebes  of  the 
hundred  gates.  The  foreign  gods,  Khaldia  the  Arme¬ 
nian,  Melkarth  of  Tyre,  Chemosh  of  Moab,  Ptah,  Amen, 
and  their  troops  of  divine  animals  have  been  humiliated 
before  Assur,  and  the  sacred  vases  from  their  temples 
are  piled  high  in  the  chambers  of  the  Ninevite  palaces. 
Commerce  has  followed  in  the  direction  opened  by  the 
armies.  Xow  foreign  merchants  flock  into  Hineveh, 


272  THE  ROYAL  AUDIENCE  :  PREPARING  FOR  WAR. 


bringing  with  them  the  most  valuable  productions  from 
all  countries — gold  and  perfume  from  Southern  Arabia, 
ivory  from  Africa  and  the  Chaldean  Sea,  Egyptian 
linen  and  glass-work,  carved  enamels,  goldsmith’s 
work,  tin,  silver,  Phoenician  purple  ;  cedar  wood  from 
Lebanon,  unassailable  by  worms;  furs  and  iron  from 
Asia  Minor  and  Armenia.  The  least  of  the  nobles 
who  lives  near  the  king  unites,  in  his  palace  and  upon 
his  person,  the  natural  productions  and  manufactures  of 
the  whole  world. 

The  same  wealth  formerly  existed  on  the  banks  of  the 
Nile;  but  Egypt  was  more  refined,  and  never  displayed 
her  opulence  with  so  much  ostentation.  Pharaoh  and 
his  nobles  loved,  and  still  love,  elegance  and  perfection 
rather  than  rich  ornaments  and  furniture.  They  wear 
little,  and  their  garments  are  of  simple  white  linen,  but 
the  quality  is  so  light  and  fine  that  the  form  and 
colour  of  the  body  are  visible  through  it,  and  contact 
with  it  is  a  caress  to  the  limbs.  On  the  contrary,  the 
Assyrians  seek  for  heavy,  stiff  materials,  shaggy  and 
loaded  with  fringes,  overweighted  with  many-coloured 
designs  and  embroideries.  Their  garments  envelop 
them  completely  from  neck  to  ankle,  but  they  drape 
badly,  and  encircle  the  bust  and  hips  almost  "without 
folds.  Even  the  women  seem  to  prefer  a  style  of  dress 
which  enlarges  them  and  conceals  their  natural  shape 
as  much  as  possible  ;  the  wadded  cases  in  which  they 
imprison  themselves  give  them  a  stiff,  awkward  appear¬ 
ance,  which  contrasts  most  unfavourably  with  the 
supple  grace  and  easy  movements  of  the  Egyptians. 

Assurbanipal  has  carefully  powdered  himself.  His 
hair  and  beard,  perfumed,  combed,  divided  in  rows  of 
curls,  one  above  the  other,  fall  over  his  shoulders  and 
chest.  He  wears  for  the  occasion  one  of  his  most  re¬ 
splendent  state  costumes.  A  high  mitre,  shaped  like  a 
truncated  cone,  exactly  follows  the  outlines  of  his  fore¬ 
head  and  temples  ;  it  is  of  white  wool,  striped  with  blue. 
A  wide  band,  ornamented  with  rosettes  in  golden 


THE  ROYAL  AUDIENCE:  PREPARING  FOR  WAR.  273 


thread,  holds  it  in  place  upon  the  forehead  ;  the  two 
ends  are  tied  behind  and  fall  upon  the  neck.  The 
short-sleeved  dress  is  of  very  deep  blue,  embroidered 
with  rosettes  in  red  cotton ;  it  is  fastened  round  the 
waist  by  a  wide  sash  carefully  arranged  in  three  folds, 
edged  at  the  ends  by  a  fringe  of  which  each  thread  is 


Pig.  146. — Fragment  of  an  Assyrian  Embroidery,  from  a  bas-relief 
reproduced  by  Layard. 

decorated  by  four  rows  of  glass  beads.  A  vest  is  passed 
over  the  robe,  covering  the  shoulders  and  descending 
halfway  down  the  back.  The  material  of  which  it  is 
made  is  almost  hidden  by  heavy  embroidery.  Borders 
of  flowers  and  palm-leaves  surround  religious  scenes,  in 
which  the  king  adores  the  sacred  tree,  or  struggles 
with  a  lion  or  with  two  winged  sphinxes,  or  presents 
a  bow  and  arrow  to  various  divinities  (Fig.  146).  The 


274  THE  KOYAL  AUDIENCE:  PREPARING  FOR  AVAR. 


design  is  most  carefully  and  boldly  drawn,  and  if  a 
little  overloaded,  as  a  whole  the  details  are  so  varied 
and  beautiful  that  they  fairly  astonish  those  who  are 
not  aware  of  the  manual  skill  of  Assyrian  women. 
They  execute,  or  rather  paint,  with  their  needles  these 
fragile  pictures.  Their  reputation  has  extended  to 
foreign  lands,  and  not  only  nations  civilised  for  many 
years,  like  Syria  and  Egypt,  hut  even  the  half-savage 
peoples  of  Greece  or  distant  Etruria  greatly  appreciate 
their  work. 

The  embroidered  stuffs  from  Nineveh  and  Babylon 
are  in  fact  one  of  the  wares  which  the  Phoenicians 
export  with  the  greatest  profit,  and  which  render 
Assyria  and  Chaldea  celebrated  in  lands  where  the 
fame  of  their  arms  has  never  penetrated.  The  images 
of  gods  and  animals,  natural  or  fantastic,  represented 
upon  them  have  been  copied  by  the  artisans  of  these 
different  countries  in  their  own  materials,  upon  their 
jewels,  their  vessels  in  stone  or  metal.  As  they  are 
ignorant  of  the  signification  of  these  figures,  they 
separate  them  or  group  them  arbitrarily,  without  any 
thought  except  to  compose  some  harmonious  decora¬ 
tions.  They  have  even  blended  types  borrowed  from 
other  nations,  particularly  from  the  Egyptians,  and 
this  mixture  of  contradictory  elements  excites  the 
amusement  or  wrath  of  learned  Assyrians,  when  one 
of  these  grotesque  works  accidentally  falls  into  their 
hands.  It  is  even  said  that  some  of  these  barbarians 
have  imagined  that  they  recognised  portraits  of  their 
gods  and  heroes  in  the  figures  of  the  Ninevite  gods  or 
kings.  Thus,  the  Hellenes  took  possession  of  the 
superb  group  which  represented  the  giant  Gistubar 
strangling  a  lion  with  one  arm  and  carrying  it  away 
with  him.  The}r  believed  it  to  represent  Hercules,  the 
son  of  Zeus,  who  formerly  killed  a  gigantic  lion  in  this 
wray  ;  thus  the  portrait  of  the  old  Chaldean  hero  has 
become  that  of  their  national  god.  This  is  really  one 
of  the  most  curious  and  unexpected  effects  of  commerce 


THE  ROYAL  AUDIENCE  :  PREPARING  FOR  WAR.  275 


between  the  various  nations ;  the  material  form  has 
become  detached  from  the  idea  which  inspired  it,  and 
has  gone  to  the  other  end  of  the  world  to  clothe  a 
different  idea,  and  give  it  the  body  it  lacked. 

The  jewels  match  the  costume.  The  Assyrians 
have  retained  the  use  of  ear-rings  for  men,  which  the 
Egyptians  have  rejected  for  some  centuries.  Those 
worn  by  the  king  to-day  are  very  simple  and  of  an 
ancient  form,  resembling  those  worn  in  the  time  of 
Sargon.  They  consist  of  a  simple  ring  of  gold,  deco¬ 
rated  with  three  balls  upon  the  sides  and  ornamented 
by  a  pendant  shaped  like  a  spindle  and  adorned  with  a 
few  balls.  The  bracelets  are  of  a  more  elaborate  design. 
Two  are  usually  worn  upon  each  arm.  The  first,  placed 
very  high  towards  the  shoulder,  is  a  golden  reed  rolled 
upon  itself ;  two  lions’  heads  stop  the  ends  of  the 
spiral.  The  bracelet  for  the  wrist  is  a  golden  circle, 
closed  by  a  rosette  with  ten  petals.  The  effect  of  these 
jewels  is  rather  heavy;  it  produces  the  feeling  that  the 
owner  is  conscious  of  his  wealth,  and  has  told  the  artist 
to  use  a  great  deal  of  the  gold.  But  the  work,  exa¬ 
mined  closely,  shows  immense  skill ;  the  lions’  heads 
are  expressive,  the  petals  of  the  rosette  are  arranged 
with  exquisite  taste.  The  way  in  which  the  various 
motives  are  disposed  is  most  ingenious.  No  doubt  the 
Assyrian  goldsmiths  would  succeed  as  well  as  the 
Egyptian  if  they  were  not  obliged  to  work  for  clients 
who  value  jewellery  for  its  mas¬ 
sive  appearance  and  its  weight. 

The  necklet  is  not  so  im¬ 
portant  in  the  Assyrian  cos¬ 
tume  as  it  is  in  the  Egyptian ; 
it  consists  of  a  gold  ring,  to 
which  the  divine  emblems  are 
attached — the  lunar  crescent 
of  Sin ;  the  four-rayed  disk  of 
Shamash,  the  sun ;  the  triple-pointed  thunder  of  Adar 
(Fig.  147).  It  forms  an  amulet  rather  than  an  orna- 


Fig.  147. — The  King’s 
Necklet. 


276  THE  ROYAL  AUDIENCE  :  PREPARING  FOR  WAR. 


inent,  and  the  necessity  for  respecting  the  immovable 
types  of  tbe  symbols  has  preserved  its  ancient  form 
almost  unaltered ;  j  ust  as  we  see  it  upon  the  sculptures 
worn  by  the  old  kings,  so  it  is  round  Assurbanipal’s 
neck  to-day.  The  beauty  of  the  sword  a  little  com¬ 
pensates  for  the  simplicity  of  the  necklet.  It  is  worn 
almost  horizontally,  nearly  at  elbow  height,  so  that  the 


Fig.  148. — An  Fig.  149. — The  King  in  his 

Assyrian  Sword.  State  Costume. 


left  hand  usually  rests  upon  the  pommel  when  it  is 
inactive.  The  rather  short  hilt  is  of  turned  ivory ; 
four  lions’  heads  in  gold  are  attached  to  it  near  the 
junction  with  the  blade  (Fig.  148).  The  sheath  is  of 
wood,  overlaid  with  gold ;  it  is  decorated  towards  the 
point  with  two  golden  lions,  standing  upon  their  hind 
legs,  apparently  playing  with  each  other.  The  pro¬ 
fusion  of  gold  produces  a  better  effect  than  might  be 


THE  ROYAL  AUDIENCE  :  PREPARING  FOR  WAR,  277 


supposed.  The  pale  yellow  of  the  metal  softens  the 
otherwise  rather  crude  tones  of  the  vermilion,  blue, 
and  white  materials.  The  king,  thus  apparelled  (Fig. 
149),  really  looks  what  lie  wishes  to  he  considered — the 
image  of  the  gods  upon  earth.  Foreigners,  and  even 
his  subjects  ihemselves,  when  they  are  first  admitted 
to  his  presence  upon  state  occasions,  secretly  think  that 
they  see  in  him  the  likeness  of  Assur,  and  should  the 
god  deign  to  come  amongst  us  and  reveal  himself  in  a 
living  form,  he  would  surely  resemble  the  king. 

After  dressing  in  his  private  apartments,  Assur- 
banipal  crosses  the  courtyard  shaded  by  a  parasol, 
which  a  servant  holds  over 
him  ;  then  he  seats  himself 
at  the  end  of  the  audience 
hall  upon  a  large  carved 
armchair  between  two  eu¬ 
nuchs,  who  fan  him  un¬ 
ceasingly  (Fig.  150).  Ilis 
ministers  and  attendants 
stand  on  either  side  of  the 
throne  with  the  princes  of 
his  family.  The  highest  in 
rank  amongst  them,  the  first 
in  the  empire  after  the  king, 
is  the  Tartan,  who  has  the 
supreme  command  of  the 
troops.  The  duties  which 
he  fulfils  have  always  been 
considered  very  important  in 

a  military  monarchy  like  Assyria ;  but  they  have  be¬ 
come  so  heavy  through  the  conquests  of  tlie  last  few 
years  that  Assurbanipal  has  been  obliged  to  divide 
them.  He  has  instituted  a  second  Tartan,  who  exer¬ 
cises  the  same  power  as  the  first,  but  over  one  half  of 
the  empire  only.  Whilst  this  one,  the  Tartan  of  the 
left,  holds  authority  over  Conmiagene  and  the  north¬ 
western  provinces,  the  ancient  Tartan  on  the  right 


Fig.  150.- 


-Tlie  King  upon  his 
Throne. 


278  THE  ROYAL  AUDIENCE  :  PREPARING  FOR  WAR. 

dwells  near  the  sovereign,  and  commands  in  the  pro¬ 
vinces  of  the  south  and  east.  He  is  assisted  by  four 
viziers  of  less  position — the  mayor  of  the  palace,  who 
regulates  the  royal  household  ;  the  chief  of  the  eunuchs, 
who  rules  over  the  women ;  the  Toukoulou,  who  is  at 
the  head  of  the  priesthood ;  lastly,  the  regent,  who 
manages  the  financial  department  and  the  civil  ad¬ 
ministration.  From  all  time  the  Assyrians  have  had 
the  habit  of  designating  each  year  that  passes  by  the 
name  of  an  eminent  personage,  who  is  supposed  to  have 
directed  its  events,  and  whom  they  call  limmou.  For 
instance,  they  say  that  a  certain  town  has  been 
destroyed,  or  certain  people  conquered,  Shamsi-ilou, 
Adar-malik,  or  Atar-ilou  being  limmou.  The  reigning 
sovereign  is  always  limmou  during  the  year  which 
follows  his  accession  to  the  throne  ;  after  him,  the 
great  officers  of  the  crown  receive  the  same  title  in  the 
order  of  precedence  which  their  position  gives  them — - 
first  the  Tartan,  then  the  mayor  of  the  palace,  then  the 
chief  of  the  eunuchs,  and  so  on,  until  the  list  of  officials 
being  ended,  the  hierarchy  brings  back  ike  king’s 
name  for  the  second  time,  then  those  of  his  ministers. 

The  crowd  of  courtiers  and  officers  of  less  rank 
arrange  themselves  in  lines  by  the  walls  of  the  hall. 
Their  costume  is  very  similar  to  that  of  the  king. 
Thej7  wear  the  same  close-fitting  fringed  robe,  the 
same  short  swmrd,  the  same  bracelets  and  golden  ear¬ 
rings  :  the  head-dress  is  different.  The  lesser  nobles 
are  bareheaded,  the  others  wear  a  fillet  passed  round 
the  forehead  and  tied  at  the  hack  ;  the  fillet  worn  by 
the  viziers  is  wider  than  the  others,  and  is  ornamented 
with  golden  rosettes.  They  have  all  a  proud,  haughty 
expression,  strongly  marked  features,  and  energetic 
carriage.  They  are  usually  of  middle  height,  but 
thick-set  and  robust.  Their  arms  are  bare,  and  the 
development  of  the  muscles  denotes  extraordinary 
strength  ;  whilst  the  outline  of  the  body,  so  far  as  it 
can  be  defined  through  the  thick  robes,  confirms  the 


THE  ROYAL  AUDIENCE  :  PREPARING  FOR  WAR. 


279 


promise  of  great  rigour  given  by  the  arms.  They  are 
a  race  of  soldiers  built  for  conflict,  prepared  and  trained 
by  the  fatigues  and  perils  of  the  chase  for  the  fatigues 
and  perils  of  war.  Seeing  them,  it 
is  easy  to  understand  how,  in  spite  of 
their  small  numbers  and  the  limited 
extent  of  their  territory,  they  have 
succeeded  in  subduing  all  the  peoples 
of  Asia,  and  in  defeating  the  armies 
of  Pharaoh. 

The  Elamite  embassy  is  headed 
by  two  noblemen  of  high  rank  in  the 
court  of  Susa,  Umbadara  and  Nebo- 
darniq.  The  customs  and  civilisation 
of  the  Susians  in  many  ways  resemble 
those  of  Assyria  and  Chaldea,  but 


with  something  less  polished,  more 
them.  The  costumes 


savage  about 


Fig.  151. — An 
Elamite  Nobleman. 


worn  by  the  two  ambassadors  are 
similar  to  those  of  Assurbanipal’s  courtiers.  They  wear 
the  long  robe  of  brilliant  colours,  bordered  with  fringe  ; 
the  sword  and  bracelets.  Umbadara  has  only  a  fillet 
round  his  head;  Nebodamiq  wears  a  round  cap,  fastened 
upon  the  temples  by  a  ribbon  (Fig.  151).  The  men 
who  form  the  suite  are  of  varied  physiognomy  and 
costume.  Some  of  them  are  dressed  like  their  leaders, 
but  more  simply.  They  closely  resemble  the  Assyrian 
type — strong  curved  nose,  large  eyes,  long  face,  middle 
height.  Others  have  woolly  hair,  flat  nose,  projecting 
mouth,  thick  upturned  lips,  short  crisp  beard  ;  they 
would  be  taken  for  negroes  but  for  their  white 
skins.  They  are  natives  of  the  provinces  near  the  sea. 
Lastly,  some  are  tall,  slender,  with  straight  nose,  blue 
eyes,  and  a  few  of  them  with  fair  hair.  They  belong 
to  the  independent  tribes  that  inhabit  the  mountains 
situated  beyond  Susiana,  and  they  are  connected  with 
those  Persians  and  Medes  that  call  themselves  Aryans. 
These  brave  soldiers  have  endeavoured  latterly  to  unite 


280  THE  ROYAL  AUDIENCE  :  PREPARING  FOR  WAR. 


tlieir  scattered  clans  in  a  single  nation,  obeying  one 
king.  Their  success  might  prove  a  serious  danger  for 
Assyria,  for  they  are  bold,  enterprising,  and,  above  all, 
numerous.  If  any  one  can  induce  them  to  forget  their 
mutual  feuds,  can  group  them  round  one  leader,  and 
discipline  them,  nothing  can  long  resist  him.  Other 
nations  may  be  superior  in  tactics,  weapons,  and  con¬ 
fidence  in  themselves ;  he  will  crush  them  beneath  the 
masses  of  his  soldiers. 

Luxury  is  not  as  visible  amongst  this  varied  group 
as  in  the  court  of  the  Assyrian  monarch.  The  colours 
are  equally  brilliant,  but  the  embroideries  are  less 
beautiful,  the  gilding  and  jewels  less  rich;  not  that 
the  Elamites  are  less  fond  of  gold,  but  they  possess 
less  of  it.  Their  appreciation  of  their  relative  poverty 
both  humiliates  and  irritates  them.  The  race  hatred 
which  they  feel  for  the  Assyrians  adds  to  their  natural 
insolence,  and  the  looks  which  they  have  encountered 
since  they  crossed  the  frontier  encourage  them  to 
believe  that  the  powerful  Ninevites  are  secretly  afraid 
of  them.  They  almost  hope  their  mission  will  fail ;  a 
war  would  give  them  the  treasures  displayed  with  so 
much  ostentation,  as  though  in  defiance  of  tlieir  mission. 

Umbadara  and  Nebodamiq,  introduced  by  an 
eunuch,  advance  slowly,  the  eyes  lowered,  the  hands 
crossed  on  the  chest,  between  the  double  lines  of 
courtiers.  When  they  reach  the  throne  they  prostrate 
themselves,  kiss  the  ground  before  the  king’s  feet, 
then,  upon  a  sign,  rise  and  stand  motionless  before  the 
sovereign.  Usually  the  envoys  of  foreign  princes 
remain  kneeling  during  an  audience.  Assurbanipal, 
who  wishes  to  spare  the  pride  of  the  Susians,  exempts 
them  from  this  part  of  the  ceremonial,  and  allows 
them  to  speak  to  him  almost  face  to  face.  Iso  one 
appears  before  a  sovereign  with  empty  hands,  and  even 
under  these  circumstances  Teumman  has  not  broken 
this  rule  of  international  courtesy.  Umbadara  and 
INebodamiq,  after  the  first  salutations  have  been  ex- 


THE  ROYAL  AUDIENCE:  PREPARING  FOR  WAR.  281 


changed,  offer  the  presents  they  have  been  entrusted 
with  —  gold  and  silver  vases,  precious  stones,  and 
valuable  stuff's.  They  then  open  the  subject  of  their 
message,  and  communicate  their  master’s  proposals  to 
Assurbanipal.  Peace  exists  between  Assyria  and  Elam; 
should  they  not  endeavour  to  maintain  it  by  every 
possible  means?  Teumman  wishes  to  do  everything 
in  his  power  to  please  his  brother  Assurbanipal.  Yet 
the  latter  has  received  and  treated  with  great  distinc¬ 
tion  certain  Elamite  subjects,  the  sons  of  former  kings, 
who,  after  conspiring  against  their  legitimate  sovereign, 
have  fled  to  escape  the  just  punishment  which  awaited 
them.  If  Assurbanipal  consents  to  drive  them  away,  or 
to  deliver  them  to  the  ambassadors,  he  will  have  no  ally 
more  faithful  than  the  King  of  Elam ;  if  not,  it  is  war. 

The  conclusion  of  the  speech  was  foreseen.  Assur¬ 
banipal’ s  reply  was  equally  certain :  he  was  re¬ 
solved  not  to  betray  the  princes,  who  had  relied 
upon  his  generosity.  He  and  his  counsellors  have  not 
decided  without  some  hesitation.  Elam  is  a  military 
power  of  the  first  rank,  stronger  than  Armenia, 
Chaldea,  or  Egypt,  and  its  kings  have  always  success¬ 
fully  resisted  the  most  furious  attacks.  The  Assyrians 
assert,  in  their  official  chronicles,  that  Sargon  defeated 
TJmmanigash,  who  reigned  over  Susiana  during  his 
life,  and  that  he  imposed  a  tribute  upon  him ;  but  the 
annals  of  Elam  and  Chaldea  relate  another  version  of 
the  story.  In  reality  Sargon  was  defeated,  and  Assyria 
was  invaded  and  devastated  with  impunity.  Senna¬ 
cherib  boasted  of  having  defeated  the  forces  of  Minanou 
near  Khaluli.  Minanou  on  his  side  declares,  that  he 
almost  entirely  annihilated  the  Assyrian  army  in  the 
same  battle  ;  and  if  we  look  at  the  matter  without 
prejudice,  we  cannot  help  thinking  that  he  was  right. 
Sennacherib,  after  this  so-called  triumph,  was  obliged 
to  return  home,  and  took  no  further  steps  against  Elam 
for  some  years.  The  effects  of  this  victory  curiously 
resemble  those  of  a  defeat. 


282  THE  ROYAL  AUDIENCE  :  PREPARING  FOR  WAR. 


War  against  Elam  is  therefore  a  dangerous  tiling; 
the  Assyrians  have  quire  as  much  to  lose  by  it  as  to 
gain.  Still,  they  have  decided  in  favour  of  war. 
Assurbanipal  declares  that  he  cannot  possibly  accept 
the  proposals  of  Teumman ;  he  knows  the  courage  of 
his  soldiers,  the  skill  of  his  generals,  and  Avith  the  aid 
of  Assur  and  Ishtar — of  Ishtar  particularly,  the  queen 
of  battles — he  hopes  to  win.  Umbadara  and  Nebo- 
damiq,  who  have  dared  to  bring  him  the  challenge 
from  the  enemy,  shall  not  return  to  Susiana ;  they  shall 
remain  at  Nineveh,  prisoners  with  their  suite,  until  the 
gods  have  decided  betrveen  their  kino-  and  the  King  of 

O  O  o 

Assyria.  At  a  Avoid  from  the  Tartan  they  are  seized 
before  they  can  attempt  any  resistance  and  taken 
away ;  only  the  secretary  and  two  or  three  of  his 
servants  are  liberated  and  sent  back  to  the  frontier. 
They  are  to  inform  Teumman  of  the  result  of  the 
embassy,  and  to  give  him  a  letter,  in  which  Assur¬ 
banipal  advises  him  to  give  up  his  evil  projects,  under 
penalty  of  incurring  t  lie  anger  of  the  gods. 

The  war  once  decided  on  and  declared,  Assurbanipal 
hastens  to  take  the  measures  necessary  to  commence 
it  with  vigour.  The  Tartan  of  the  right,  Belnahid, 
commences  giving  his  orders  as  soon  as  the  audience  is 
over,  and  before  nightfall  couriers  have  already  started 
in  every  direction  with  secret  letters  for  the  governors 
of  the  provinces  and  the  allied  sovereigns.  All  the 
administrative  machinery  is  arranged  in  view  of  war, 
for  war  has  for  many  centuries  been  the  normal  con¬ 
dition  in  Assyria.  The  troops  are  therefore  ready  to 
march  at  the  first  signal,  and  to  move  from  one  end  of 
the  empire  to  the  other.  They  are  almost  entirely 
recruited  in  Assyria  itself,  and  in  the  districts  of 
Mesopotamia  which  have  always  belonged  to  the 
sovereigns  of  Nineveh.  A  few  detachments  of  little 
importance  accompany  the  governors  of  the  provinces 
to  their  residence ;  they  form  the  nucleus  of  an  army, 
and  their  fidelity  can  be  absolutely  relied  upon. 


THE  ROYAL  AUDIENCE  :  PREPARING  FOR  WAR.  283 


Around  them,  in  case  of  need,  the  governors  can 
assemble  the  troops  raised  among  their  native  sub¬ 
jects  and  those  brought  by  the  vassal  princes.  The 
majority  of  the  army  is  concentrated  round  the  royal 
residences  at  Nineveh,  Kalakh,  or  in  the  always 
threatened  provinces  which  border  Elam  and  Chaldea. 
The  organization  is  so  perfect  that  the  regiments  can 
be  mobilised  in  a  few  days,  and  sent  wherever  the 
king  has  declared  the  war.  They  strengthen  the 
regiments  which  garrison  the  frontier,  and  usually 
form  with  them  a  sufficiently  numerous  army  to  equal, 
if  not  to  surpass,  in  numbers  the  forces  which  the 
enemy  can  bring  against  them. 

The  divisions  scattered  in  the  other  provinces 
remain  almost  inactive  during  this  time.  Since  their 
departure  usually  gives  the  signal  for  a  general  insur¬ 
rection  in  the  country  which  they  occupy,  they  are 
only  called  out  in  the  last  extremity,  when  it  is  a 
question  of  repairing  a  defeat  or  of  hilling  the  vacan¬ 
cies  caused  in  the  ranks  by  a  murderous  campaign. 
Thus  each  war  unduly  prolonged,  or  costing  a  large 
number  of  men,  threatens  to  entail  the  dissolution  of 
the  empire.  The  Assyrian,  knowing  this,  is  therefore 
merciless  to  the  cities  he  takes  and  the  peoples  he 
conquers.  Not  content  with  pillaging  houses  and 
ruining  the  fields,  he  massacres  whole  families,  and 
no  torture  appears  too  cruel  to  punish  those  who  have 
resisted  him.  He  impales  some,  flays  others  alive,  puts 
out  the  eyes  or  cuts  off  the  lips  of  his  prisoners — with¬ 
out  counting  the  children  and  young  girls  whom  he 
carries  into  slavery.  His  rule,  established  by  force,  is 
only  preserved  by  force.  The  day  which  sees  it 
weakened  upon  one  point,  will  also  see  the  hatred 
now  silently  repressed  break  out  with  new  force ;  the 
countries  outwardly  most  resigned  to  slavery  will  not 
hesitate  to  rebel,  if  a  chance  of  regaining  their  liberty 
should  occur.  The  couriers  who  carry  tidings  of  the 
war  against  Elam  to  the  governors,  at  the  same  time 


284  THE  ROYAL  AUDIENCE  :  PREPARING  FOR  WAR. 


deliver  orders  to  watch  over  their  provinces  with  the 
greatest  vigilance,  so  as  to  guard  against  any  hostile 
movement,  and  to  crush  the  slightest  insubordination 
without  mercy.  Assyria  has  really  but  one  army  to 
place  in  the  field,  and  cannot  therefore  contend  wilh 
more  than  one  enemy  at  a  time ;  if  forced  to  divide 
her  forces  and  to  fight  both  against  a  foreign  enemy 
and  against  her  rebellious  subjects,  she  would  be  too 
weak  numerically  to  struggle  for  many  years  in  suc¬ 
cession,  and  would  at  last  succumb. 

The  fear  of  an  alliance  between  the  natives  dwelling 
at  a  distance,  with  the  object  of  a  simultaneous  attack 
from  Assyria,  although  formerly  chimerical,  is  now 
but  too  well  justified.  When  Pharaoh  invaded  Syria 
at  the  head  of  his  bowmen  and  chariots,  if  the 
Ethiopians  should  rise  against  their  viceroy  at  the 
same  time,  it  was  only  an  unfortunate  coincidence, 
nothing  more.  The  people  who  then  inhabited  the 
basin  of  the  Orontes  had  so  little  direct  communication 
with  those  who  dwelt  upon  the  banks  of  the  Upper 
Nile,  that  the  idea  never  occurred  to  them  of  endea¬ 
vouring  to  combine  together  against  their  common 
enemy.  Revolts,  which  then  failed  miserably,  would 
have  destroyed  the  Egyptian  power  if  any  joint  effort 
had  been  made,  forcing  Pharaoh  to  defend  his  northern 
and  southern  frontiers  at  the  same  time  ;  as  it  was, 
Pharaoh  had  time  to  move  his  troops  from  place  to 
place,  and  to  crush  one  by  one  those  adversaries  who 
would  have  overwhelmed  him  had  they  supported  each 
other.  The  same  thing  happened  to  the  ancient 
Assyrian  conquerors,  Tiglath-Pileser,  Assur-na sir-pal, 
Shalmaneser  II.  Elam,  Urartu,  Chaldea,  the  kings  of 
Damascus  and  the  Hittites  were  attacked  separately, 
and  never  thought  of  forming  a  coalition.  Each  nation 
in  its  own  land  valiantly  defended  itself  as  long  as 
possible,  but  even  neighbouring  tribes  did  not  think  of 
allying  themselves  together  —  the  Susians  with  the 
Babylonians,  the  Hittites  with  the  Phoenicians  and  the 


THE  ROYAL  AUDIENCE:  PREPARING  FOR  WAR.  285 


kings  of  Damascus,  the  latter  with  the  Hebrews,  the 
Hebrews  with  Egypt.  All  these  nations,  invincible 
it‘  they  had  combined,  were  conquered  because  they 
remained  isolated. 

However,  during  the  last  century  communications 
have  become  so  rapid  and  easy  between  the  different 
countries  that  the  kings  and  cities  now  menaced  by 
Assyria  have  agreed  to  unite  in  their  resistance  td  her. 
When  Sennacherib  assailed  Judea,  king  Hezekiah  of 
Jerusalem  entered  into  an  alliance  with  Merodach- 
Baladan :  the  diversion  made  by  the  Chaldeans  saved 
the  Jews  for  some  years.  This  lesson  has  not  been 
lost.  Since  then  all  the  nations  have  tried  to  join 
together  against  Assyria,  whose  policy  has  been  to 
prevent  the  formation  of  a  league  at  any  price.  There 
is  a  perpetual  coming  and  going  of  secret  messengers, 
conclusion  of  tacit  alliances,  conventions  of  mutual 
assistance  between  the  most  varied  countries  and 
princes.  Glyges  of  Lydia  makes  a  treaty  with 
Psammetichus  of  Egypt,  and  promises  to  help  him. 
Psammetichus  in  his  turn  forms  an  alliance  with  the 
small  sovereigns  of  Southern  Syria;  the  latter  are  always 
in  correspondence  with  Chaldea,  and  Chaldea  always 
inclines  to  side  with  Elam  against  Assyria.  The  union 
of  so  many  nations  would  he  irresistible  if  they  could 
only  be  induced  to  act  together,  but  as  yet  no  one  has 
succeeded  in  doing  so.  The  distances  between  the 
allies  are  so  great,  some  are  impatient,  others  so  slow 
and  undecided,  and  it  is  said  the  watchfulness  of  the 
Assyrians  is  so  active,  that  the  best-planned  schemes 
end  in  a  check.  Elam  strikes  a  blow  before  Babylon  is 
ready ;  Egypt  will  not  take  the  field  if  she  can  help  it ; 
Judea,  Moab,  Ammon,  the  Philistines,  Aabatei,  and 
Arabs  wait  until  Pharaoh’s  bowmen  have  entered  Syria 
before  they  march.  But  the  Assyrians  advance  at  full 
speed,  crush  Elam  or  Chaldea,  kill  some  hundreds  of 
Arabs,  sack  a  few  Syrian  cities.  Pharaoh,  always 
prudent,  retires  to  Africa.  The  danger  is  averted,  but 


286  THE  ROYAL  AUDIENCE  :  PREPARING  FOR  WAR. 


it  exists;  the  coalition  will  soon  he  re-formed.  When 
it  can  arrange  its  movements  so  that  all  its  forces  can 
take  the  field  at  the  same  time,  the  Assyrians  will  re¬ 
quire  great  luck  and  marvellous  energy  to  escape  ruin. 

Couriers  hurry  in  every  direction.  The  instructions 
they  carry  to  the  governors  are  couched  in  firm  direct 
terms,  without  any  flowery  language  and  without  any 
repetitions.  Here,  for  instance,  is  the  message  sent  by 
the  king  to  Belibni,  who  commands  a  detachment  in 
the  land  of  the  Pukudu,*  towards  the  mouth  of  the 
Euphrates: — ‘A  letter  from  the  king  to  Belibni:  may 
the  greeting  I  send  thee  bring  happiness  to  thee  ! 
With  regard  to  thy  rule  over  the  people  of  Pukudu  on 
the  banks  of  the  Kharrou,  to  whomever  the  house  of 
his  lord  is  dear,  let  him  henceforth  tell  his  lord  all  that 
he  has  seen  and  heard.  And  now  do  not  fail  to  let  me 
know  everything  that  thou  rnayest  hear  with  regard  to 
thein.’fi  Change  the  proper  names  and  you  will  have, 
if  not  the  form,  at  all  events  the  substance  of  all  the 
dispatches  sent  by  the  king  to  his  generals  on  the 
evening  of  the  audience  and  on  the  following  days. 
They  were  to  redouble  their  vigilance,  not  to  allow  any 
movement  amongst  the  people  under  them  to  pass 
unnoticed,  to  transmit  to  the  palace  as  quickly  as 
possible  the  least  item  of  information  which  they  could 
collect.  Their  work  is  less  brilliant  than  that  of  their 
comrades,  who  form  part  of  the  chief  army ;  but  it  is 
scarcely  less  important.  If  each  of  them  preserves 
peace  in  his  province,  if  he  prevents  any  insurrection 
or  represses  it  before  it  has  time  to  strengthen  and 
extend,  Teumman,  thrown  upon  his  own  resources, 
will  not  be  able  to  stand  before  Assurbanipal,  and 
Assyria  will  conquer  Elam  once  more. 

*  The  Pukudu  were  an  Aramean  tiibe,  which  inhabited  the 
marshes  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates,  near  a  canal  or 
river  derived  from  the  Tigiis,  and  named  the  Kharrou. 

t  This  dispatch  is  genuine,  but  it  relates  to  one  of  Assurbanipal’s 
wars  against  Chaldea  and  Elam,  some  years  later  than  the  one  I 
have  chosen  for  my  subject  here. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


assurbanipal’s  library. 

(; 

The  old  Chaldean  literature — Assurbanipal  orders  the  principal  works 
to  be  copied  for  his  library  —  The  royal  annals:  account  of  the 
death  of  Gyges  the  Lydian — Money  in  Lydia — The  goddess  Ishtar 
The  Descent  of  Ishtar  into  Hades — The  poem  of  the  creation — The 
poem  of  Gistubar — Gistubar  struggling  against  the  monsters — His 
dream  —  He  captures  E.tbani — His  struggle  against  Ishtar — Death 
of  Eabani — Cure  of  Gistubar. 

Although  sanguine  as  to  his  ultimate  success,  Assur¬ 
banipal  cannot  help  feeling  anxious  as  he  thinks  of  the 
chances  of  the  war,  and  this  anxiety  prevents  him  from 
sleeping.  lie  calls  one  of  the  eunuchs  on  guard  at  his 
chamber  door,  and  sends  him  to  find  the  librarian  of 
the  palace :  he  wishes  to  have  the  tablets  that  chronicle 
the  chief  events  of  his  reign  brought  to  him,  so  that  he 
may  re-read  the  accounts  of  his  former  victories,  and  so 
revive  his  confidence. 

The  Assyrians  can  write  with  a  cut  reed  upon  pre¬ 
pared  skins,  wooden  tablets,  and  even  upon  the  papyri 
brought  from  Egypt  by  the  caravans.  They  then  use  a 
cursive  character  derived  from  the  Phoenician  alphabet. 
The  scribes  use  this  writing  for  registering  the  booty 
taken  during  a  war,  the  tributes,  taxes,  and  the  busi¬ 
ness  of  current  administrations,  which  do  not  require 
the  minutes  to  be  preserved  for  a  long  time.  When 
the  subject  of  the  work  is  history,  literature,  judicial 
acts,  or  official  documents  that  must  be  deposited  in  the 
archives,  they  resort  to  the  old  Chaldean  characters  and 
clay  tablets.*  This  system  has  some  inconveniences,  and 

*  See  in  Chapter  XII.  the  detailed  description  of  these  tablets. 


288 


assurbanipal’s  library. 


a  great  many  advantages.  The  books  of  baked  earth 
are  inconvenient  to  hold,  heavy  to  handle,  the  cha¬ 
racters  are  not  clearly  defined  against  the  yellow 
colour  of  the  clay  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  a  work 
cut  upon  brick  and  incorporated  with  it,  incurs  less 
danger  than  a  work  written  in  ink  upon  rolls  of 
papyrus.  Fire  cannot  hurt  it,  water  cannot  injure  it 
for  a  long  time,  and  if  it  is  broken  the  pieces  are  still 
good ;  provided  they  are  not  reduced  to  powder,  they 
can  generally  be  readjusted  and  the  text  deciphered, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  letters  or  some  words  of  a 
phrase.  The  inscriptions  found  in  the  foundations  of 
the  most  ancient  temples,  several  of  which  are  twenty 
or  thirty  centuries  old,  are,  as  a  rule,  clear  and  legible, 
as  though  they  had  just  left;  the  hands  of  the  scribe 
who  traced  them  and  the  potter  who  baked  them. 
The  hymns,  magic  incantations,  lists  of  kings,  annals, 
hymns  composed  almost  at  the  commencement  of  his¬ 
tory,  thousands  of  years  before  the  Assyrian  empire, 
although  exposed  to  the  accidents  of  twenty  conquests, 
to  the  destroying  fury  of  man  and  the  assaults  of  time, 
have  yet  resisted  them  all,  and  have  come  down  to  us 
intact ;  this  would  certainly  not  have  been  the  case  had 
their  authors  confided  them  to  the  papyrus,  like  the 
Egyptian  scribes.  The  chief  danger  they  encounter  is 
to  remain  forgotten  in  the  corner  of  a  room,  or  buried 
beueath  the  ruins  of  an  edifice ;  then  they  sleep,  so  to 
speak,  for  many  years,  or  even  centuries,  until  the  day 
when  a  chance  excavation,  or  the  intelligent  search  of  a 
learned  man,  discovers  them  and  restores  them  to  the 
light. 

Assurbanipal  is  fond  of  old  books,  particularly  of 
the  old  sacred  works.  lie  collects  the  scattered  speci¬ 
mens  from  the  chief  cities  of  his  empire,  and  even 
employs  scribes  in  Chaldea,  Ourouk,  Barsippa,  and 
Babylon  to  copy  for  him  the  tablets  deposited  in  the 
temples.  Ilis  principal  library  is  at  Nineveh,  in  the 
palace  which  he  built  for  himself  upon  the  banks  of 


assurbanipal’s  library. 


289 


the  Tigris,  and  which  he  has  just  finished  decorating. 
It  contains  more  than  thirty  thousand  tablets,  methodi¬ 
cally  classified  and  arranged  in  several  rooms,  with 
detailed  catalogues  for  convenient  reference.  Many  of 
the  works  are  continued  from  tablet  to  tablet  and  form 
a  series,  each  bearing  the  first  words  of  the  text  as  its 
title.  The  account  of  the  creation,  which  begins  with 
the  phrase :  Formerly,  that  which  is  above  teas  not  yet 
called  the  heaven ,  was  entitled :  Formerly,  that  which  is 1 
above,  No.  1 ;  Formerly,  that  which  is  ((hove,  No.  2  ;  and  so 
on  to  the  end.  Assurbanipal  is  not  less  proud  of  his 
love  of  letters  than  of  his  political  activity,  and  he  is 
anxious  that  posterity  should  know  how  much  he  has 
done  for  literature.  His  name  is  inscribed  upon  every 
work  in  his  library,  ancient  and  modern.  ‘  The  palace 
of  Assurbanipal,  king  of  legions,  king  of  multitudes, 
king  of  Assyria,  to  whom  the  god  A ebo  and  the  god¬ 
dess  Tasmetu  have  granted  attentive  ears  and  open 
eyes  to  discover  the  writings  of  the  scribes  of  my 
kingdom,  whom  the  kings,  my  predecessors,  have  em¬ 
ployed.  In  my  respect  for  A  ebo,  the  god  of  intelli¬ 
gence,  I  have  collected  these  tablets ;  I  have  had  them 
copied,  I  have  marked  them  with  my  name,  and  I  have 
deposited  them  in  my  palace.’ 

The  library  at  Dur-Sarginu,  although  not  so  rich  as 
the  one  in  Aineveh,  is  still  fairly  well  supplied.  The 
scribe,  Aaboushoumidin,  who  has  charge  of  it,  soon 
takes  the  tablets  containing  the  annals  from  their 
places  and  gives  them  to  the  eunuch.  But  what 
Assurbanipal  wishes  read  to  him  in  detail  is  less  the 
history  of  his  wars  than  the  text  of  the  oracles  by 
which  the  gods  have  encouraged  him  to  undertake 
them,  and  the  enumeration  of  the  miracles  which  they 
have  worked  for  him.  The  exact  recollection  of  what 
has  been  done  for  him  in  the  past  will  disperse  his 
fears,  and  give  him  faith  in  the  aid  they  will  bestow 
upon  him  in  the  future.  ‘  Take  the  tablet,’  he  said 
to  the  reader,  ‘  containing  the  account  of  Gyges,  the 
20 


290 


assurbanipal’s  library. 


Lydian,  and  repeat  it  to  me.’  The  adventure  of  Gyges 
is  celebrated  throughout  Assyria.  The  scribe  then 
reads  it  aloud.  ‘  Gyges,  the  king  of  Lydia,  a  country 
beyond  the  seas,  a  distant  land,  of  which  the  kings, 
my  fathers,  had  never  even  heard  the  name,  Assur,  my 
di  vine  generator,  revealed  my  name  to  him  in  a  dream, 
saying :  “  Assurbanipal,  the  king  of  Assyria ;  place 
thyself  at  his  feet,  and  thou  shaft  conquer  thine  enemies 
in  his  name.”  The  same  day  that  he  dreamed  this 
dream,  Gyges  sent  horsemen  to  salute  me,  and  related 
to  me  the  dream  which  he  had  had,  by  the  mouth  of 
his  messengers.  When  the  latter  reached  the  frontiers 
of  my  empire  and  encountered  the  people  of  my  empire, 
they  said  to  him,  “Who,  then,  art  thou,  stranger,  whose 
land  has  never  yet  been  visited  by  one  of  our  couriers?” 
They  sent  him  to  Nineveh,  the  seat  of  my  royalty,  and 
brought  him  before  me.  The  languages  of  the  east 
and  of  the  west,  which  Assur  had  given  into  my  hand, 
none  of  those  who  spoke  them  could  understand  his 
language,  and  none  of  those  who  surrounded  me  had 
ever  heard  speech  like  unto  it.  In  the  space  of  my 
empire  I  at  last  found  one  who  understood  it,  and  he 
told  me  the  dream.  The  same  day  that  he  placed 
himself  at  my  feet,  mine,  the  king,  Assurbanipal,  he 
defeated  the  Cimmerians,  who  oppressed  the  people  of 
Ins  land,  who  had  not  feared  the  kings,  my  fathers, 
and  had  not  placed  themselves  at  my  feet.  By  the 
grace  of'  Assur  and  Ishtar,  the  gods  my  masters,  they 
took  amidst  the  chiefs  of  the  Cimmerians,  whom  he 
had  defeated,  two  chiefs  whom  he  chained  heavily  with 
manacles  of  iron  and  chains  of  iron,  and  he  sent  them 
to  me  with  a  rich  present.  Nevertheless,  the  horsemen 
that  he  at  first  sent  regularly  to  pay  homage  unto  me, 
he  soon  ceased  to  send  them.  He  would  not  obey 
the  commands  of  Assur,  my  divine  generator,  but 
foolishly  trusted  in  his  own  strength,  and  in  the  wishes 
of  his  heart ;  he  sent  his  troops  to  the  assistance  of 
Psammetichus,  king  of  Egypt,  who  had  contemptuously 


assurbanipal’s  library. 


291 


thrown  off  my  yoke.  I  heard  this,  and  prayed  to 
Assur  and  Ishtar  :  “  May  his  body  be  thrown  down 
before  his  enemies,  and  may  his  bones  be  dispersed.” 
The  Cimmerians,  whom  he  had  crushed  in  my  name,  re¬ 
appeared  and  subjugated  his  whole  land,  and  his  son  suc¬ 
ceeded  him  upon  the  throne.  The  punishment  which 
the  gods,  who  are  my  strength,  had  drawn  upon  his 
father,  at  my  request,  he  told  me  by  his  messengers,  and 
he  placed  himself  at  my  feet,  saying  :  “  Thou  art  a  king 
acknowledged  by  the  gods.  Thou  cursedst  my  father, 
and  misfortune  fell  upon  him.  Send  me  thy  blessing,  for  I 
am  thy  servant,  who  fears  thee,  and  will  wear  thy  yoke.”  ’ 
In  one  moment  this  glorious  episode  of  his  history 
repasses  before  the  eyes  of  the  king ;  he  once  more 
sees  the  arrival  of  the  foreign  ambassadors,  their 
curious  costumes,  their  embarrassment  and  that  of  the 
court,  the  time  when  he  invoked  the  anger  of  the  gods 
against  Gyges,  and  the  moment  when  the  messengers 
of  Ardys*  informed  him  that  the  gods  had  granted  his 
prayer.  From  that  time  Lydia  has  always  been 
faithful  to  him ;  every  year  Lydian  horsemen  cross 
Asia  to  lay  their  master’s  tribute  before  him.  It  is  not 
large,  but  that  is  willingly  excused,  when  the  length  of 
the  j  ourney  is  considered ;  it  consists  of  horses,  stuffs, 
and  above  all,  gold,  which  their  country  produces  in 
great  quantities.  They  ha  ve  invented  a  very  ingenious 
way  of'  using  it  in  the  markets.  In  the  royal  work¬ 
shops  it  is  made  into  small  globular  blocks  of  a  certain 
weight,  which  are  marked  with  a  stamp,  with  the 
image  of  a  horse’s  head,  a  flower,  or  a  fox  in  full  gallop. 
The  mark  and  the  size  of  the  blocks  show  their  value 
at  once,  and  the  usual  weighing  is,  therefore,  dispensed 
with.  This  greatly  facilitates  all  commercial  transac¬ 
tions. f  It  is  said  that  the  use  of  this  money  is 

spreading ;  some  day  it  may  even  reach  Assyria  itself. 

*  Ardys  was  the  son  of  Gyges,  and  his  successor  upon  the  throne 
of  Lydia. 

t  See  upon  this  subject,  p.  21. 


292 


assurbanipal’s  library. 


Assurbanipal  causes  the  account  of  his  wars  in 
Egypt  to  be  read  to  him,  then  his  campaigns  against 
Baal  of  Tyre  and  the  Phoenicians,  and  in  all  of  them 
he  recognises  the  effects  of  the  protection  which  Assur 
and  Ishtar  extend  over  him.  Ishtar,  whom  the 
Canaanites  and  Phoenicians  revere  under  the  name  of 
Astoreth  and  Astarte,  has  not  always  been,  in  Assyria, 
the  all-powerful  divinity  that  she  is  now.  The  most 
ancient  kings  never  recognised  in  her  anything  beyond 
‘  the  mistress  of  battles  and  of  war,  the  sovereign  lady, 
who  embellished  the  faces  of  the  soldiers  ’ — a  race  of 
conquerors  was  certain  to  worship  a  goddess  of  war. 
They  had  raised  two  sanctuaries  to  her,  which  soon 
became  celebrated,  the  one  in  Nineveh,  the  other  in 
the  small  town  of  Arbela,  beyond  the  Zab,  almost  upon 
the  eastern  frontier  of  their  land.  They  piously  invoked 
her,  but  always  placed  her  in  the  background,  far  behind 
Assur,  Sin,  and  the  other  gods.  Esarhaddon  brought  her 
out  of  the  shade,  where  she  had  been  thrown,  and  made 
her  his  patron.  Each  time  he  started  for  a  new 
expedition  he  consulted  her,  and  she  answered  through 
her  priestesses;  the  events  never  falsified  her  predic¬ 
tions.  The  love  which  Assurbanipal  feels  for  her  is, 
therefore,  a  really  paternal  inheritance,  like  the  throne 
itself.  It  is  towards  her  that  he  instinctively  turns 
when  he  has  any  reason  for  joy  or  sadness :  he  thanks 
her  for  his  successes,  confides  his  anxieties  to  her,  and 
loves  nothing  better  than  listening  to  the  books  which 
speak  of  her  and  of  her  mysterious  adventures.  He 
interrupts  the  eunuch  in  the  midst  of  his  reading, 
between  the  account  of  a  raid  upon  Armenia  and  that 
of  an  excursion  against  the  peoples  of  the  Taurus,  and 
commands  him  to  go  and  ask  Naboushoumidin  for  the 
Descent  of  Ishtar  into  Haclcs. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  touching  episodes  in  the 
life  of  the  goddess.  Her  husband,  Tammuz,  had  been 
killed,  and,  god  though  he  was,  had  been  obliged  to 
join  the  other  dead  beneath  the  earth,  in  the  gloomy 


assurranipal’s  library. 


293 


kingdom  of  Allat.  There  was  but  one  way  of  restoring 
him  to  the  light ;  lie  must  bathe  in  and  drink  of  the 
waters  of  that  wonderful  spring,  which  restores  those 
who  drink  it.*  Ishtar  resolved  to  go  and  fetch  some 
of  it;  but  no  one  can  enter  Hades  before  he  is  dead, 
and  Ishtar  is  not  more  exempt  from  the  fatal  law  than 
other  beings.  ‘  To  the  land  from  whence  no  traveller 
returns,  to  the  regions  of  darkness,  Ishtar,  the  daughter 
of  Sin,  has  directed  her  spirit ;  yes,  the  daughter  of 
Sin  herself  has  directed  her  spirit  to  the  house  of 
darkness,  the  seat  of  the  god  Irkalla,  to  the  house 
which  those  who  enter  can  never  leave,  by  the  road 
over  which  no  one  travels  a  second  time,  to  the  house 
of  which  the  inhabitants  never  again  see  the  light,  the 
place  w'here  there  is  no  bread,  but  only  dust ;  no  food, 
but  mud  ;  no  one  can  see  the  light  there,  all  live  in 
darkness,  and  like  the  birds,  are  clad  in  a  raiment  of 
feathers ;  upon  the  gate  and  the  lock  on  all  sides  the 
dust  lies  thick.’  Ishtar  reached  the  ramparts  of  Hades; 
she  knocked,  and  addressed  the  doorkeeper  in  an 
imperious  tone  :  ‘  Guardian  of  the  waters  of  life,  open 
thy  doors  ;  open  thy  doors,  that  I  may  go  in  !  If  thou 
do  not  open  thy  gate  and  let  me  in,  I  will  sound  the 
knocker,  I  will  break  the  lock,  I  will  strike  the  thres¬ 
hold  and  break  through  the  portal.  I  will  raise  the 
dead  to  devour  the  living,  the  dead  shall  be  more 
numerous  than  the  living.’  The  doorkeeper  opened  his 
mouth,  he  spoke,  he  said  to  the  lady  Ishtar:  ‘Stay, 
0  lady !  do  not  break  down  the  door,  but  allow  me  to 
go  and  announce  your  name  to  Ninkigal,f  the  queen 
of  Hades  !  ’  The  guardian  descended  and  announced 
Ishtar’s  visit  to  Ninkigal :  ‘  0  goddess  !  thy  sister 
Ishtar  has  come  in  search  of  the  living  water ;  she  has 
shaken  the  strong  bolts,  she  threatens  to  break  down 
the  doors.’  When  Allat  heard  this,  she  opened  her 

*  See  upon  this  wonderful  spring,  p.  248. 

+  The  goddess  of  the  dead  is  called  Aliat  or  Ninkigal  indifferently 
during  the  narrative. 


294 


assurbanipal’s  library. 


mouth  and  spoke :  ‘  Thus,  like  grass  under  the  scythe, 
Ishtar  has  descended  into  Hades,  like  a  reed,  which 
bends  down  and  withers ;  she  has  asked  for  the  waters 
of  life.  Well,  what  does  her  wish  matter  to  me? 
w  hat  can  her  anger  do  to  me?  She  says:  “With 
this  water  I  would  revive  my  husband,  and  he  would 
satisfy  me,  like  food,  and  quench  my  thirst  like  a 
beverage,  which  revives  the  faint  !  ”  If  I  must  weep, 
it  would  not  be  for  her,  but  for  the  heroes  who  have 
been  forced  to  leave  their  wives;  I  would  weep  for  the 
brides  that  thou,  0  guardian,  hast  torn  from  the  bosom 
of  their  husbands;  I  would  weep  for  the  little  children 
whom  thou  hast  taken  before  their  day  had  dawned. 
Go  then,  0  guardian,  and  open  the  gates  for  her,  but 
unrobe  her  according  to  the  old  laws.’  Mortals  come 
naked  into  the  world,  and  naked  must  they  go  out  of 
it,  but  the  piety  of  their  relations  or  friends  provides 
them  with  ornaments  and  clothes,  which  they  hope  to 
take  with  them.  The  law  of  Hades  does  not  allow 
them  to  retain  anything,  and  the  demons  take  all  their 
possessions  away  before  presenting  them  to  the  queen. 

The  guardian  went  and  opened  the  door :  ‘  Enter, 
0  lady,  and  since  the  city  of  Coutha  rejoices  because 
of  thee,  so  may  the  infernal  palace  rejoice  because  of 
thee.’  He  let  her  pass  through  the  first  gate,  shut  it 
upon  her,  and  took  off  the  crown  she  wore  upon  her 
head.  ‘  Why  then,  0  guardian,  hast  thou  removed 
the  crown  from  my  head?’  ‘Enter,  0  lady;  I  obey 
the  commands  of  Allat.’  And  at  each  gate  he  took  off 
some  of  her  jewellery,  her  ear-rings,  her  jewelled 
necklet,  the  veil  which  covered  her  bosom,  her 
enamelled  waist-belt,  her  bracelet,  and  her  ankle- 
rings;  at  the  seventh  gate  he  took  off  her  last  gar¬ 
ment.  Therefore,  when  Ishtar  descended  into  Hades, 
Allat  saw  her  and  treated  her  with  contempt.  Ishtar 
lost  all  patience  and  reproached  the  queen  bitterly. 
Allat,  to  punish  her,  called  Namtar,  the  demon  of 
pestilence,  her  messenger  of  death,  and  gave  the  rebel 


assurbanipal’s  library. 


295 


into  liis  hands  :  ‘  Go,  Namtar,  take  Ishtar  and  lead  her 
from  my  presence.  Sixty  times  strike  her  with  disease, 
pour  disease  of  the  eyes  into  her  eyes,  disease  of  the 
loins  into  her  loins,  disease  of  the  heart  into  her  heart, 
disease  of  the  head  into  her  head ;  upon  her  and  upon 
each  of  her  limbs  pour  disease.’  Now  whilst  she  suf¬ 
fered  the  pangs  of  Hades,  all  nature  was  mourning  for 
her  loss- — animals,  men,  the  gods  themselves,  all  were 
perishing,  and  the  world  would  have  been  depopulated 
had  not  means  been  found  of  rescuing  her  from  the 
tomb  which  she  had  entered. 

Ilea,  the  supreme  god,  the  king  of  the  universe, 
who  alone  can  violate  the  laws  which  he  has  imposed 
upon  creation,  determined  to  recall  her  and  to  grant 
the  boon,  for  which  she  had  descended  into  the  realms 
of  Allat — the  water  of  life,  that  would  restore  Tammuz 
to  life.  Hea,  in  the  wisdom  of  his  heart,  made  a  man, 
he  created  Assousounamir  the  eunuch :  ‘Go  then, 
Assousounamir,  turn  thy  face  towards  the  gates  of 
Hades,  let  the  seven  gates  be  opened  before  thee,  that 
Allat  may  see  thee  and  rejoice  in  thy  presence.  When 
her  heart  is  at  peace  and  her  anger  appeased,  adjure 
her  by  the  great  gods,  then  turn  thy  head  and  go  to  the 
retreat  of  the  stormy  winds,  command  the  house  of  the 
stormy  winds,  where  the  pure  fountain  is  imprisoned, 
and  let  Ishtar  drink  of  its  waters.’  Allat  dare  not  dis¬ 
obey  the  commands  of  the  master  of  the  gods ;  she 
called  Namtar  and  told  him  to  prepare  everything,  so 
that  life  might  be  restored  to  the  goddess.  The  spring 
is  hidden  far  down  beneath  the  threshold  of  the  palace  ; 
the  stone  must  be  broken  before  the  water  will  appear, 
and  even  then  it  will  not  produce  its  full  effect  unless 
the  Anunaki,  the  seven  mysterious  spirits  who  preside 
over  the  preservation  of  the  earth,  are  present.  ‘  Namtar 
went  and  struck  the  solidly  constructed  palace,  he 
broke  the  threshold,  invoked  the  spirits  of  the  earth, 
and  seated  them  upon  a  golden  throne,  then  poured 
the  water  over  Ishtar  and  led  her  towards  the  daylight.’ 
He  restored  her  garments  and  ornaments  as  she  passed 


296 


ASSURBANIPAL’S  LIBRARY. 


from  door  to  door ;  when  she  had  returned  to  the  en¬ 
trance  he  informed  her  that  henceforth  the  life  of  her 
husband  was  in  her  own  hands.  ‘  If  Allat  has  not  yet 
given  thee  the  life  thou  hast  so  dearly  bought,  come 
back  to  her  and  claim  Tammuz,  the  husband  of  thy 
youth.  Pour  the  water  of  life  over  him,  anoint  him 
with  precious  scents,  and  clothe  him  in  a  purple  robe.’ 
Nature  revived  with  Tammuz  :  Ishtar  had  conquered 
death. 

The  form  of  this  work  is  modern,  but  the  original 
conception  and  the  development  are  very  ancient:  the 
descent  of  Ishtar  into  Ilades  was  already  sung  by  the 
earliest  masters  of  Chaldea,  with  several  other  works 
that  we  still  read  with  admiration.  The  poets  and 
priests  knew  how  to  compose  grand  religious  poems 
with  a  skill  and  wealth  of  imagination  that  scribes  of 
later  generations  have  never  equalled.  It  is  natural 
that  this  should  be  so.  In  their  days  the  earth  was 
still  newly  created,  and  they  felt  the  gods  were  nearer 
to  them  than  we  can  do.  When  they  described  the 
first  days  of  the  world,  they  and  their  audience  had 
no  difficulty  in  imagining  the  events  of  the  beginning 
of  the  centuries  ;  they  knew  them  through  the  direct 
revelation  of  the  gods  who  had  shared  in  the  work. 
In  the  time  when  the  heavens  above  were  not,  and 
the  earth  was  not  named,  the  primordial  water-deep 
engendered  them,  and  Moummou  Tiamat,  the  Ocean 
Chaos,  was  mother  of  them  all.  The  waters  formed 
but  one  mass,  the  fields  of  corn  were  sterile,  and 
the  pastures  were  not  yet  grown.  In  these  days 
the  gods  had  not  yet  appeared,  they  had  no  names, 
and  their  destiny  was  not  yet  fixed.’  All  things 
issued  from  the  water,  the  earth,  the  heaven,  and 
mankind. 

The  old  inspired  singer  then  narrates  the  successive 
generations  of  the  gods,  and  the  struggles  by  which 
the}r  triumphed  over  Tiamat.  Merduk,  or  Merodach, 
of  Babylon,  the  sun- sovereign,  was  their  champion. 
‘  Go,’  they  said  to  him,  ‘  and  cut  short  the  days  of 


assurbanipal’s  library. 


297 


Tiamat,  and  throw  her  blood  to  the  winds.  He  had 
the  bow  prepared  so  as  to  make  a  weapon,  he  bran¬ 
dished  the  club  and  fastened  it  to  his  side,  he  seized 
the  boomerang  and  held  it  in  his  right  hand.  When 
he  had  suspended  the  how  and  quiver  upon  his  shoulder 
he  launched  a  flash  of  lightning  before  him,  and  in¬ 
stantly  an  impetuous  speed  filled  all  his  limbs.  He 
who  fears  no  rival  entered  the  chariot  of  fate,  and 
stood  firmly  there;  his  hand  fastened  ihe  four  pairs  of 
reins  to  the  edge  of  the  chariot.’  Thus  armed  he  threw 
himself  upon  Tiamat  and  attacked  her.  ‘  He  brandished 
the  club  and  crushed  her;  he  broke  her  chest,  tore  out 
her  heart,  bound  her  and  cut  short  her  days,  then 
threw  down  the  corpse  and  stood  over  it.  When 
Tiamat,  who  marched  before  them,  was  defeated,  he 
dispersed  her  soldiers,  scattered  their  battalions ;  and 
the  gods,  her  allies,  who  marched  beside  her.  trembled, 
they  were  afraid,  they  turned  round  and  fled  to  save 
their  lives,  so  they  pressed  against  each  other  in  their 
hurried  flight ;  but  he  followed  them  and  broke  their 
weapons.’ 

The  longest  of  these  old  poems  relates  the  great 
deeds  of  Gistubar.  He  was  born  in  Ouroukof  Chaldea, 
the  son  of  a  king ;  he  would  have  been  himself  a  king 
had  not  his  father  been  dethroned  by  the  Elamites 
when  he  was  yet  an  infant  in  the  cradle.  Brought  up 
in  exile,  he  devoted  himself  to  the  royal  amusement  of 
hunting.  The  earth  Avas  not  at  that  time  peopled  as  it 
noAV  is,  and  wild  beasts  Avagcd  cruel  Avar  against  men: 
not  only  lions,  tigers,  and  aurochs,  which  kings  delight 
in  killing  uoav,  but  monsters  with  forms  half-human 
joined  to  those  of  the  most  formidable  animals.  Human¬ 
headed  bulls,  Avhich  are  now  only  seen  in  stone  at  the 
palace  gates,  then  existed  in  flesh  and  blood,  continually 
seen  in  the  country.  Scorpion  men,  satyrs,  griffons, 
inhabited  the  desert  and  the  mountain,  ready  to  de¬ 
scend  upon  any  one  wdio  crossed  the  boundaries. 
Gistubar  had  already  destroyed  a  great  number  of 
them,  when  the  gods,  seeing  the  end  of  the  predestined 


298 


assurbanipal’s  library. 


days  of  exile  drawing  near,  sent  him  a  dream.  Then 
he  revealed  his  dream,  and  said  to  his  mother :  ‘  I  have 
dreamed  a  dream  in  my  sleep  ;  for  it  seemed  unto  me 
that  the  stars  of  heaven  fell  from  heaven,  and  they 
fell  upon  my  back,  descending  from  heaven  upon  me. 
And  see,  as  I  looked  suddenly  I  paused,  and  I  saw  a 
being  raise  his  face  before  me,  a  creature  with  a  ter¬ 
rible  face,  and  claws  like  unto  the  claws  of  a  lion.’ 
It  then  seemed  to  him  that  he  fought  against  the 
monster  and  destroyed  it :  then  he  awoke. 

Dreams  do  not  come  by  chance ;  they  are  the  mes¬ 
sengers  of  the  gods,  by  which  they  announce  the 
future  to  those  who  can  understand  them,  hut  Gistubar 
could  not  find  any  one  to  interpret  his  dream.  At  last 
some  one  told  him  of  a  monstrous  genie,  Eahani,  whose 
wisdom  was  unequalled,  but  who  dwelt  alone  in  the 
mountain.  lie  had  the  bust  and  face  of  a  man,  the 
legs  and  tail  of  a  bull,  and  horns  upon  his  head.  ‘  lie 
feeds  with  the  gazelles  during  the  night,  he  remains 
hidden  during  the  day  with  the  animals  of  the  fields, 
and  his  heart  rejoices  over  the  reptiles  that  are  in  the 
water.’  Gistubar  sent  his  chief  huntsman,  Zaidou,  to 
take  him,  but  Zaidou  was  frightened  at  the  sight  of 
the  monster,  and  returned  without  daring  to  approach 
him.  Then  the  hero  resorted  to  craft :  he  chose  two 
beautiful  women,  Hakirtou  and  Oupasamrou,  who 
enticed  Eahani  out  of  the  cavern  where  he  had  con¬ 
cealed  himself.  He  approached  Hakirtou  and  listened 
to  her  song,  then  he  became  attentive  to  it,  and  at  last 
turned  towards  her  and  seated  himself  at  her  feet. 
‘  Hakirtou  bent  her  face  towards  him,  she  spoke,  and 
he  listened  to  her  words.  She  then  said  to  him : 
“  Eahani  the  illustrious,  who  resemhlest  the  gods,  why 
dost  thou  dwell  amongst  the  animals  of  the  desert  P 
I  wish  thee  to  follow  me  to  the  centre  of  Ourouk,  to 
the  temple  of  Elli-Tardousi,  the  dwelling  of  Ann  and 
Ishtar,  the  house  of  Gistubar,  the  strong  giant,  who 
stands  like  a  bull  before  the  chieftains.”  She  spoke, 
and  before  her  words  all  the  wisdom  of  his  heart. 


assurbanipal’s  library. 


299 


melted  and  disappeared.’  He  followed  her  to  Ourouk, 
explained  that,  the  dream  foretold  the  hero’s  victory 
over  his  enemies,  then  married  one  of  the  women  who 
had  induced  him  to  leave  his  solitude.  Thus  Gistubar 
won  the  affection  of  his  servant  Eabani,  whom  he 
always  loved. 

Gistubar  then  took  the  field,  and  the  Elamite  first 
experienced  the  strength  of  his  arms.  Houmbaba, 
who  had  dethroned  his  father  at  Ourouk,  ‘  he  killed 
him ;  took  his  weapons  and  spoiled  him,  then  put  on 
the  insignia  of  royalty,  he  cut  off  his  head,  and  put  on 
the  diadem  and  the  crown;  yes,  Gistubar  ornamented 
himself  with  the  crown  and  put  on  the  diadem. 
Ishtar,  the  gcddess  of  Ourouk,  raised  her  eyes  and 
looked  upon  him,  then  seeing  him  so  handsome  and 
so  strong,  she  decided  that  she  would  marry  him. 
‘Listen  to  me,  Gistubar,  and  be  my  husband;  I  will 
be  a  vine  unto  thee  and  thou  shall  be  the  trellis  to 
which  I  am  bound,  thou  shalt  be  my  husband  and  I 
will  be  thy  wife.  I  will  give  thee  a  chariot  of  crystal 
and  of  gold,  the  pole  is  of  gold  and  the  ornaments  are 
of  glass,  and  thou  canst  yoke  thine  horses  to  it  every 
day.  Enter  our  house  under  the  shadow  of  the  cedar- 
trees,  and  when  thou  art  there  the  Euphrates  will  kiss 
thy  feet.  Kings  will  bow  down  to  thee,  nobles  and 
princes  will  bring  offerings  unto  thee,  the  tribute  of 
the  mountain  and  of  the  plain.  In  thy  parks  thy 
sheep  shall  bear  thee  twins,  in  thy  stables  thy  mule 
shall  come  to  demand  its  burden  ;  thine  horses  shall 
always  gallop  with  thy  chariot,  and  thy  bull  shall 
have  no  rival  in  bearing  the  yoke.’  Gistubar  heard 
her,  but  repulsed  her  with  a  mixture  of  contempt  and 
fear,  asking  her  what  she  has  done  with  the  mortal 
husbands  that  she  has  married  during  her  long  life  as 
a  goddess.  Tammuz,  whom  she  mourned  so  deeply ; 
Alala,  the  eagle,  whose  wings  she  clipped ;  the 
powerful  lion,  whose  claws  and  teeth  she  extracted 
by  sevens ;  the  untamed  horse  who  carried  her  in 
battle ;  and  Taboulou,  the  shepherd  ;  and  the  gardener 


300 


ASSURBANIPAL  S  LIBRARY. 


Isoullanou ;  all  died  before  their  time.  ‘  And  I,  I 
will  not  ascend  to  thee  to  fall  again,  for  thou  lovest 
me  but  to  treat  me  as  thou  hast  treated  them.’ 

Ishtar  thus  rejected,  hurried  to  throw  herself  at  the 
feet  of  her  father  Ann,  the  sovereign  of  the  gods,  and 
implored  his  vengeance  against  the  hero  who  has 
insulted  her.  ‘  My  father,  create  a  divine  bull  and 
launch  it  against  Gistubar.’  Anu  granted  the  prayer 
of  the  goddess  and  created  the  bull,  but  Gistubar 
entrusted  the  faithful  Eabani  with  the  task  of  lighting 
against  the  adversary.  ‘  lie  also  assembled  three 
hundred  heroes,  so  that  they  could  replace  Eabani  if 
he  were  killed,  and  he  made  two  ranks  for  the  battle 
and  one  rank  to  fight  against  the  divine  bull.  Then 
the  creature  lowered  its  horns  against  this  third  row, 
but  Eabani  conquered  it.  Eabani  pierced  the  body  of 
the  bull,  he  seized  it  by  the  top  of  the  head,  and 
plunged  his  poignard  into  the  nape  of  its  neck. 
Eabani  opened  his  mouth,  he  spoke,  he  said  to  the 
hero  Gistubar,  “Friend,  we  have  succeeded  and  we 
have  destroyed  the  enemy  ;  but,  friend,  let  us  reflect 
upon  the  consequences,  and  fear  the  power  of  Ishtar. 
Divide  the  limbs  of  the  bull.”  And  Ishtar  ascended 
the  wall  of  Ourouk,  she  tore  her  garments  and  uttered 
a  curse.  “  I  curse  Gistubar,  who  has  insulted  me  and 
killed  the  divine  bull!”  But  Eabani  heard  the  words 
of  Ishtar,  and  he  cut  off  the  limbs  of  the  divine  bull 
and  threw  them  down  before  her.  “  Here  is  the  reply 
to  thy  curse ;  I  accept  it,  and  as  I  received  it  from 
thee,  I  turn  it  against  thee.”  Ishtar  assembled  her 
servants  and  lamented  with  them  over  the  limbs  of  the 
bull.’  Gistubar  consecrated  the  horns  and  the  skin  to 
the  Sun-god. 

Still  the  hatred  of  Ishtar  pursued  him,  and  despair¬ 
ing  of  finding  an  enemy  capable  of  vanquishing  him 
in  a  fair  contest,  she  called  disease  to  her  assistance, 
and  disease  overcame  the  hero.  Leprosy  covered  his 
body,  and  the  fear  of  death,  that  last  enemy  of  man, 
drew  near  to  him.  Once  more  the  gods  interfered  to 


ASSL'RBANIPAL  S  LIBRARY. 


301 


save  him  ;  they  revealed  to  him  in  a  dream  that  he 
could  be  cured  by  the  intercession  of  Khasisadra,  and 
even  become  immortal.  Khasisadra,  the  son  of  Ouba- 
ratoutou,  was  the  last  of  the  ten  kings  who  ruled  in 
Chaldea  immediately  after  the  Creation.  When  the 
gods  destroyed  mankind  to  punish  them  for  their  sins, 
he  only  escaped  in  his  ark,  and  he  repeopled  the  world 
with  his  descendants.  Then  by  the  command  of  des¬ 
tiny  he  was  carried  away  whilst  still  living,  and  was 
transported  to  the  mysterious  gardens  where  the 
blessed  dead  reside,  beyond  the  mouth  of  the  Eu¬ 
phrates.*  Gistubar  started  in  search  of  him,  but  his 
usual  good  luck  failed  him ;  he  lost  his  way,  and  the 
faithful  Eabani  perished  in  the  claws  of  a  more  terrible 
monster  than  any  he  had  yet  seen.  The  soul  of  Eabani 
joined  the  souls  in  the  kingdom  of  Allat,  but  Ilea,  the 
creator,  took  pity  upon  him  and  commanded  his  son 
Merodach  to  deliver  him.  lie  rose  from  earth  like  a 
cloud  of  dust,  and  ascended  to  heaven.  The  gods  wel¬ 
comed  him  and  feasted  him.  Now  lying  upon  a  sump¬ 
tuous  couch,  he  drinks  pure  water,  and  from  above  he 
watches  the  spectacle  of  human  actions.  ‘  He  who 
falls  in  battle,  I  see  him  as  thou  seest  me.  His 
mourning  father  and  mother  support  his  head,  his 
wife  laments  over  his  body.  His  friends  stand  in  the 
plain,  and  he  sees  them  as  I  see  thee,  and  his  orphan 
children  cry  aloud  for  bread,  but  others  eat  the  food 
that,  was  ready  in  his  tents.’ 

Gistubar  recommenced  his  journey.  Henceforth 
he  travelled  alone ;  yet  after  many  wanderings  he 
reached  the  mountains  of  Mas,  where  the  sun  rises 
every  morning  and  sets  every  evening  under  the 
guardianship  of  scorpion  men.  The  latter  referred  him 
to  the  pilot  Ourbel,  who  told  him  to  construct  a  boat, 
and  then  took  him  after  six  weeks’  delay  to  the  dwell¬ 
ing  of  Khasisadra.  There  he  was  forced  to  stop,  for  no 
living  mortal  can  cross  the  stream  which  surrounds 
the  garden.  But  Khasisadra,  touched  by  his  misery, 
*  See  p.  250  respecting  the  Chaldean  paradise. 


302 


assurbanipal’s  library. 


related  the  story  of  the  Deluge  to  him,*  and  pointed  out 
a  certain  cure  for  his  illness;  saying,  that  not  only  should 
he  not  die,  but  at  the  end  of  his  trials  the  gods  would 
receive  him  and  would  confer  immortality  upon  him. 
The  poem  ends  with  this  consoling  promise,  and,  in  fact, 

Gistubar  is  now  a  god. 
Poetry,  sculpture,  and 
the  plastic  arts  have 
immortalised  his  life  and 
his  adventures.  He  is 
the  giant  whom  we  have 
seen  by  the  side  of  the 
winged  bulls  at  the  door 
of  the  palaces  strangling 
a  lion  in  his  arms  (Fig. 
152). f  The  cylinders 
which  the  Assyrians 
wear  hanging1  round 
their  necks,  and  which 
they  use  for  seals,  +  often 
bear  as  the  subject  of 
their  decoration  some  in¬ 
cident  of  his  life — his 
struggles  against  the 
bull  and  the  lion,  his 
meeting  with  the  scor¬ 
pion  men,  his  voyage 
upon  the  Euphrates  with 
Ourbel,  his  quarrel  with 
Ishtar.  If  the  poem 
which  rendered  his  name 
popular  should  perish  in  the  lapse  of  time,  these  nu¬ 
merous  images  and  pictures  would  still  enable  inquirers 
to  partly  rewrite  it. 

*  The  episode  of  the  Deluge  is  fully  given  in  M.  Maspero’s 
Histoire  Ancienne. 

t  See  above,  chapter  xi.,  the  figure  of  Gistubar  by  the  side  of  the 
winged  bull. 

X  See  p.  226  and  Fig.  124,  several  of  these  cylinders. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

TIIE  SCIENCE  OF  PRESAGES. 

Chaldean  astrology — Influence  ot  the  stars  over  the  human  destiny  — 
An  exact  observation  of  the  stars  enables  astrologers  to  foretell 
future  events — The  message  of  the  stars  upon  the  war  with  Elam 
— The  books  of  omens  and  the  tables  of  Sargon  the  ancient — 
Assurbanipal  invokes  Ishtar  of  Arbela,  and  the  goddess  answers 
him — The  Set  ra  and  the  interpretation  of  dreams— Apparition  of 
Ishtar  to  one  of  her  Seers — The  gods  of  Elam  prophesy  like  the 
gods  of  Assyria. 

The  same  anxiety  which,  prevents  Assurbanipal  from 
sleeping  impels  him  to  question  the  stars  and  the 
oracles,  to  wrest  from  them  the  secrets  of  the  future. 
The  Chaldeans  have  known  from  all  ages  how  to  read 
human  destinies  in  the  hook  of  heaven.  The  stars,  far 
distant  as  they  are  from  our  earth,  are  not  indifferent 
to  anything  that  happens  upon  it.  They  are  animated 
beings,  endowed  with  good  or  bad  qualities,  their  rays 
travel  through  space,  and  from  a  distance  they  in¬ 
fluence  all  that  they  touch.  These  influences  modify 
each  other,  combine  or  nullify  their  mutual  power, 
according  to  the  intensity  with  which  they  are  mani¬ 
fested,  the  position  the  stars  occupy  in  heaven  with 
regard  to  each  other,  the  hour  of  the  night  and  the 
month  in  the  year  in  which  they  rise  or  set  behind  the 
horizon.  Each  portion  of  time,  each  division  of  space, 
each  category  of  beings,  and  in  each  category  each 
individual  animal,  vegetable,  or  mineral  is  placed  under 
their  rule,  and  submits  to  their  inevitable  tyranny. 
The  child  is  born  their  slave,  and  remains  their  slave 


304 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  PRESAGES. 


until  his  last  day ;  the  star  which  prevailed  at  the  time 
of  his  birth  becomes  his  star  and  rules  his  destiny. 

But  not  only  individuals,  peoples  and  kingdoms  are 
also  subject  to  particular  stars,  or  to  stars  which  govern 
the  existence  of  their  kings.  They  increase  or  decrease 
according  to  the  perpetual  impulsion  given  from  on 
high  ;  the  history  of  their  disasters  and  prosperity  in 
the  past  is  registered  on  the  face  of  heaven,  and  that 
of  their  future  disasters  or  prosperity  is  equally  clearly 
written  for  those  who  can  read  the  record.  Astrologers 
have  been  working  at  this  science  for  many  centuries, 
and  their  observations,  accumulated  from  age  to  age, 
now  enable  us  to  know  the  special  character  and  virtue 
of  each  of  those  luminous  points  that  brighten  our 
nights  ;  to  calculate  without  many  chances  of  error 
the  numerous  aspects  they  bear  in  relation  to  each 
other  ;  to  decide  which  amongst  them  exercise  the 
most  authority  over  human  affairs,  at  what  moment 
this  authority  is  the  strongest,  and  when  it  becomes 
weaker  or  disappears  altogether.  The  signs  which  are 
visible  m  heaven,  in  addition  to  the  regular  phenomena, 
also  play  their  part  in  this  divination  by  the  movements 
of  the  celestial  bodies.  The  sun  and  moon  do  not  wrap 
themselves  in  bloody  vapours  or  hide  their  faces  behind 
the  clouds  without  some  reason  for  doing  so.  When 
they  eclipse  themselves  or  suddenly  appear  inflamed 
with  unendurable  brilliancy,  when  fires  burn  on  the 
horizon  and,  upon  certain  nights,  the  stars  seem  to 
detach  themselves  from  the  heavens  and  to  fall  upon 
the  earth,  these  prodigies  are  warnings  which  the 
gods  send  to  nations  and  to  kings  before  great  crises. 
Happy  is  the  man  whose  eyes  are  clear-sighted  to  per¬ 
ceive  t  hem,  whose  intelligence  is  quick  enough  to  under¬ 
stand  them,  who  has  the  prudence  and  presence  of  mind 
to  regulate  his  conduct  by  their  predictions  ! 

Every  night  from  the  top  of  the  many-storied 
towers  the  astronomers  are  now  observing  the  heavens, 
seeking  to  discover  the  signs  which  will  reveal  the  issue 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  PRESAGES. 


305 


of  tlie  coming  struggle  between  Assyria  and  Elam  ;  but 
it  would  almost  seem  that  the  heavens  intended  to  con¬ 
ceal  the  secret.  From  all  sides  the  same  reports  reach 
the  king ;  so  far,  the  state  of  the  atmosphere  will  not 
allow  any  accurate  observations  to  be  made.  Ishtar- 
nadinshoum,  the  chief  astronomer  of  Arbela,  writes  : 
‘  Peace  and  happiness  to  the  king,  my  master ;  long 
may  he  prosper.  On  the  29th  I  observed  the  node  of 
the  moon,  but  clouds  obscured  the  field  of  observation, 
and  we  were  unable  to  see  the  moon.’  Xaboua  of  El 
Assur,  and  X aboushoumidin  of  Xineveh,  express  them¬ 
selves  in  almost  the  same  words.  The  latter,  summing 
up  the  dispatches  of  his  fellow-workers  to  present  their 
reports  to  the  king,  is  even  forced  to  own  that  upon 
‘  the  27th  the  moon  disappeared,  on  the  29th  it  was 
invisible ;  upon  the  28th,  29th,  and  30th  the  node  of 
the  darkening  of  the  sun  was  continually  watched,  but 
the  eclipse  did  not  take  place.’  The  obstinacy  with 
which  the  heavens  refuse  to  speak  disconcerts  many 
of  the  people,  and  the  most  doleful  rumours  commence 
to  circulate  amongst  the  populace.  A  great  many 
persons  take  a  kind  of  bitter  pleasure  in  collecting  and 
spreading  the  most  alarming  predictions.  They  repeat 
an  observation  of  the  astronomer  Xabomousessi,  that 
‘  when  a  cloud  conceals  the  heart  of  the  constellation 
of  the  Great  Lion,  the  heart  of  the  country  is  sad,  and 
the  king’s  star  is  darkened.’  Xow,  last  night  a  cloud 
passed  before  the  Great  Lion  and  partly  concealed  it ; 
the  stars,  therefore,  condemn  the  land  to  sadness,  and 
what  cause  for  depression  can  there  be  if  the  war  with 
Elam  is  to  end  well?  Others  relate  that  the  night 
before  last  the  moon  was  half  hidden  by  clouds  as  she 
rose,  so  that  only  the  lower  half  of  the  disk  was  visible. 
Every  one  knows  that  the  phenomenon  signifies  an  in¬ 
vasion  of  the  Assyrian  territory  by  the  enemy,  and 
great  mourning  for  a  prince.  Several  confirm  the 
predictions  of  tbe  moon  and  the  lion  by  that  of  Venus. 
Yesterday,  the  5th  of  January,  Venus  rose  just  as  the 
21 


306 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  PRESAGES. 


sun  set,  and  this  announces  both  a  good  harvest  and 
the  presence  of  an  enemy’s  troops  in  the  country ;  the 
first  prophecy  is  welcome,  but  to  what  enemies  can  the 
star  allude  except  the  Elamites  ? 

Thus  sadly  whisper  those  people  who  are  anxious 
about  the  war,  or  whose  interests  are  jeopardised  by 
it ;  others  are  less  gloomy,  and  have  procured  favour¬ 
able  omens  for  themselves,  which  they  quote  in  oppo¬ 
sition  to  the  gloomy  predictions  of  the  former.  Now, 
three  times  running,  since  the  commencement  of  the 
month,  Sin,  the  god  of  the  moon,  has  disappeared 
early  in  the  morning  before  sunrise,  and  now  three 
times  at  sunset  he  has  been  wrapped  in  clouds  and  has 
refused  to  give  light  to  the  earth.  This  is  a  rare  but 
very  important  sign ;  before  it  the  usual  omens  lose  all 
their  signification.  It  means  the  end  of  Teumman’s 
reign  and  the  ruin  of  his  empire.  This  is  the  explana¬ 
tion  given  by  the  royal  astronomers  of  Nineveh  and 
Dur-Sarginu,  and  Assurbanipal  himself  accepts  it  freely. 
Indeed,  their  predictions  flatter  the  national  pride  too 
much  for  them  not  to  be  promptly  received  by  the 
people  in  preference  to  those  of  the  other  astrologers. 
A  rumour  spreads  through  the  land  that  Sin  has 
declared  in  favour  of  Assyria,  and  henceforth  all  the 
reports  sent  to  the  king  of  the  heavenly  movements 
unite  in  promising  a  complete  victory.  The  11th  of 
Tammuz,  a  greenish  light  ;  the  land  of  Elam  will  be 
ravaged.  On  the  14th,  towards  evening,  the  moon 
and  the  sun  were  both  visible,  and,  so  to  speak,  balanced 
each  other  at  the  two  extremities  of  the  horizon ;  this 
is  a  proof  that  the  gods  intend  bestowing  additional 
prosperity  upon  Assyria.  On  the  16th,  Jupiter  was 
brilliant  in  the  middle  of  the  night ;  this  indicates  a 
battle  in  which  many  enemies  will  perish,  and  their 
bodies  will  remain  unburied.  Thus  each  day  and  each 
night  brings  its  new  omen,  which  confirms  those  pre¬ 
viously  recorded  and  increases  their  force. 

The  profound  knowledge  which  every  one  in 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  PRESAGES. 


307 


Assyria,  even  the  common  people,  possesses  on  these 
subjects  astonishes  foreigners,  and  leads  them  to  think 
that  there  are  almost  as  many  astrologers  or  sorcerers 
as  there  are  inhabitants  upon  the  banks  of  the  Eu¬ 
phrates.  Yet  it  does  not  require  much  learning  to 
enable  one  to  understand  the  language  of  the  stars,  for 
there  are  a  number  of  books  which  teach  the  people  how 
to  translate  it  without  any  difficulty.  Assurbanipal’s 
library  contains  at  least  forty  of  them,  and  these  are 
only  the  principal  works,  the  classics  of  this  kind  of 
stud}r.  There  are  many  more,  which  have  not  the 
same  authority,  but  which  are  not  less  attentively  read 
and  commented  upon  by  the  people.  Some  treat  of 
eclipses  of  the  moon,  and  the  events  which  they  an¬ 
nounce,  according  to  the  month  and  day  upon  which 
they  take  place.  Others  study  the  movements  of  each 
planet  and  the  influences  which  it  exerts  over  the  earth, 
either  alone  or  where  two  or  three  appear  together  in 
the  sky.  Or  it  may  be  a  catalogue  of  the  prognostics 
to  be  derived  from  thunder.  If  it  thunders  on  the 
27th  of  Tammuz,  the  harvest  will  be  good  and  the 
yield  magnificent ;  if  it  thunders  six  days  later,  on  the 
2nd  of  Ab,  there  will  be  inundations  or  rain,  the  king 
will  die,  and  his  country  will  be  divided;  if  it  thunders 
on  the  3rd,  an  epidemic  will  cause  ravages  in  all  parts, 
and  if  it  is  the  4th  an  earthquake  will  threaten  the 
cities.  A  very  useful  calendar  for  a  nation  of  soldiers 
indicates  the  favourable  or  unfavourable  character  of 
each  month  for  military  operations.  For  instance, 
Tammuz  is  a  propitious  month  for  commencing  a  cam¬ 
paign  or  fortifying  a  city,  but  it  is  fatal  to  any  one 
giving  battle  in  the  open  field  or  assaulting  a  city. 
Iyyar  has  inverse  properties;  it  is  lucky  for  battles  or 
sieges,  but  no  one  should  commence  a  war  or  construct 
a  fortress  during  that  month. 

These  are  black  books  in  common  use,  which  the 
first  comer  will  be  able  to  understand  after  a  little 
while.  Others  exact  long  years  of  careful  study  ;  they 


308 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  PRESAGES. 


are  accessible  to  learned  men  only.  They  cannot  be 
used  with  any  profit  unless  one  watches  the  stars,  and 
learns  to  follow  their  courses.  The  initiation  is  slow 
and  painful,  but  those  who  attain  it  become  in  some 
degree  the  heralds  of  the  gods  upon  earth.  Destiny 
speaks  to  men  through  them,  and  each  night  reveals 
some  portion  of  the  future.  Sometimes  this  is  a 
dangerous  honour.  The  kings  will  not  undertake 
anything  without  first  consulting  the  initiates,  and  they 
trust  to  them  to  point  out  the  most  favourable  time  for 
the  execution  of  the  royal  projects.  One  moment’s 
lassitude  whilst  they  are  taking  their  observations,  one 
inaccurate  figure  in  their  calculations,  one  error  in 
reading  the  stars  or  in  interpreting  the  signs,  may  ruin 
the  sovereign  who  relies  upon  them.  Some  of  the 
kings  have  declared  war  and  have  been  defeated  or 
killed,  but  if  their  astrologers  had  been  more  attentive 
or  more  skilful  they  would  have  stayed  quietly  at  home. 
The  stars  disapproved  of  the  enterprise  and  predicted 
the  fatal  end,  but  the  astrologer  misunderstood  their 
language  and  thought  he  read  encouragement  where 
he  should  have  seen  threats ;  the  ignorance  or  folly  of 
the  servant  led  to  the  ruin  of  the  master. 

In  Egypt  the  majority  of  the  books  relating  to 
science  are  sacred  works  composed  and  revealed  by  the 
gods  themselves.*  The  Assyrians  do  not  attribute 
such  a  lofty  origin  to  the  works  which  teach  them  the 
courses  and  explain  the  influences  of  the  stars  :  they 
believe  them  to  have  been  written  by  learned  men, 
who  lived  at  different,  epochs,  and  who  acquired  their 
knowledge  from  direct  observation  of  the  heavens. 
Their  most  ancient  astronomers,  through  contemplating 
the  army  of  stars  every  night,  thought  they  recognised 
that  each  of  their  evolutions  and  each  of  their  groups 
corresponded  with  certain  unvarying  phenomena  and 
events  upon  the  earth.  For  instance,  if  Jupiter  rises, 

*  See  above,  chap,  vii.,  the  divine  origin  of  the  books  upon 
medicine  used  in  Egypt. 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  PRESAGES. 


309 


shining  with  a  brilliancy  that  equals  the  daylight,  and 
its  disk,  owing  to  the  arrangement  of  the  gloomy  bands 
which  cross  it,  resembles  a  double-edged  sword,  wealth 
and  abundance  reign  in  the  whole  country,  discords  are 
soothed,  and  justice  prevails  over  iniquity.  The  first 
man  who  observed  this  coixicidence  was  struck  by  it 
and  made  a  note  of  it;  those  who  followed  proved  that 
his  observation  was  correct,  and  ended  by  deducing  a 
general  law  of  the  facts  accumulated  upon  this  point 
during  many  years.  The  brilliancy  and  the  particular 
aspect  of  Jupiter  which  they  described  was  henceforth 
‘  a  favourable  augury  which  promised  happiness  to  land- 
owners  and  to  all  the  land  that  depended  upon  them. 
During  the  time  that  it  lasts,  no  foreigner  will  rule  in 
Chaldea,  but  tyranny  is  divided  against  itself,  justice 
reigns,  a  strong  sovereign  will  govern.  The  land- 
owners  and  the  king  are  firmly  established  in  their 
rights,  and  obedience  and  tranquillity  reign  in  the 
land.’ 

The  number  of  these  observations  multiplied  so 
quickly  that  it  became  necessary  to  class  them  methodi¬ 
cally  so  as  to  avoid  losing  oneself  amongst  them. 
Tablets  were  soon  arranged,  which  registered  by  the 
side  of  the  indications  giving  the  state  of  the  sky  on 
certain  nights,  at  certain  hours,  the  record  of  the  events 
that  followed  at  the  same  time,  or  soon  afterwards,  in 
Chaldea,  Assyria,  and  foreign  lands.  For  instance, 
the  astrologers  are  convinced  that  if  the  moon  has  the 
same  appearance  upon  the  1st  and  the  28th  of  the 
month,  it  is  a  bad  omen  for  Syria,  whilst  if  it  is  visible 
upon  the  20th,  it  predicts  happiness  for  Chaldea  and 
misfortune  for  Assyria.  ‘  If  it  nears  the  same  aspect 
on  the  1st  and  the  27th,  Elam  should  tremble;  but  if 
the  sun,  when  it  sets,  should  appear  double  its  normal 
size,  with  three  sheaves  of  bluish  rays,  the  king  is 
lost.’  All  these  observations  were  collected  gradually, 
the  uncertain  ones  were  verified,  the  false  ones  elimi¬ 
nated,  and  from  what  remained  a  code  was  drawn  up  of 


310 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  PRESAGES. 


the  signs  which  predict  and  regulate  human  destinies. 
The  old  Sargon  of  Argane,  who  reigned  more  than 
twenty  centuries  ago,*  methodically  arranged  all  the 
information  acquired  up  to  his  reign  in  a  great  work, 
which  Assurbanipal  has  caused  to  he  copied  for  his 
library,  and  which  tills  no  less  than  seventy  clay  tablets. 
The  book  was  retouched  under  his  son,  Naramsin,  then 
rearranged  from  time  to  time,  so  that  the  progress  of 
the  science  has  been  always  recorded  up  to  date.  Now 
it  is  the  great  classic  work  upon  the  subject  ;  its 
authority  is  unquestioned,  and  reference  to  it  closes  all 
controversies.  Whenever  one  of  the  royal  astronomers 
is  asked  to  explain  an  ordinary  phenomenon  or  a 
celestial  prodigy,  his  first  care  is  to  refer  to  the  tablet 
of  Sargon  ;  if  it  is  found  there  ninety-nine  times  out  of 
a  hundred,  he  contents  himself  with  copying  the  passage 
which  relates  to  the  question  put  to  him,  adds  his  name, 
and  forwards  the  quotation,  often  without  daring  to 
add  a  single  word  to  it.  The  treasures  of  patience, 
courage,  and  ingenuity  displayed  by  the  old  masters  in 
the  collecting  of  the  materials  for  this  great  work,  and 
in  establishing  a  solid  foundation  for  their  theories, 
may  fairly  astonish  us.  Learned  men  of  the  present  day 
acquire  their  knowledge  far  more  easily.  They  only 
require  well- trained  eyes  to  discover  in  the  sky  the  same 
combinations  of  stars  that  Sargon  has  described,  and  a 
good  memory,  so  that  they  can  immediately  apply  to 
their  observations  the  passage  in  which  the  prognostics 
suitable  to  the  occasion  are  enumerated  at  great  length. 

The  month  of  Tammuz  is  entirely  passed  in  ma¬ 
terial  and  mystical  preparation  for  the  conflict ;  a 
great  many  men  have  been  convoked,  a  great  many 
gods  consulted.  The  army  would  be  ready  to  start, 
but  its  departure  is  deferred,  for  the  month  of  Ab, 
which  has  now  commenced,  is  most  unfavourable  to  the 
movements  of  the  troops.  The  campaign  will  not 

*  The  reader  must  not  forget  that  the  events  related  in  this  narra¬ 
tive  took  place  about  650  b.c. 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  PRESAGES. 


311 


commence  before  the  following  month  of  Elul,  which 
the  calendars  indicate  as  one  of  the  most  propitious 
for  the  opening  of  military  operations.  Besides  Ah  is 
consecrated  to  the  great  annual  festivals  celebrated  in 
honour  of  Ishtar  in  the  sanctuary  of  Arhela.  Assur- 
banipal  attends  them  in  state  with  all  his  court.  Every 
day  he  personally  offers  the  sacrifice  to  the  goddess  ; 
every  night  from  the  summit  of  the  seven-storied  tower 
his  astronomers  search  the  depths  of  the  heavens, 
and  read  there  new  signs  of  victory.  The  first 
tidings  received  from  Elam  confirm  their  predictions. 
Teumman  has  suddenly  fallen  ill ;  his  eyes  are  darkened, 
his  lips  blue,  his  heart  has  been  seized  by  violent 
spasms.  This  is  a  final  warning  sent  to  him  by  Assur 
and  Ishtar  before  striking  the  death-blow,  and  every 
one  in  Assyria  takes  it  in  this  way,  but  Teumman  paid 
no  attention  to  the  illness.  As  soon  as  he  recovered  he 
joined  the  army.  It  is  well  known,  through  the  secret 
friends  that  his  exiled  nephews  have  retained  in  his 
court,  that  he  uttered  blasphemous  words  against  Ishtar 
when  he  heard  that  his  ambassadors  had  been  arrested, 
and  that  he  is  quite  resolved  not  to  draw  back  until 
he  has  completely  vanquished  Assyria.  ‘This  un¬ 
fortunate  king,’  he  said,  ‘  whom  Ishtar  has  rendered 
mad,  I  w  ill  not  let  him  go  until  I  have  gone  up  against 
her  and  have  measured  my  strength  against  her.’ 
Every  one  knows  Assurbanipal’s  love  for  his  goddess  ; 
Teumman’s  insolence  horrified  him.  The  dispatch 
which  informed  him  of  the  sacrilegious  speech  of  his 
enemy,  and  which  at  the  same  time  announced  the 
entrance  of  the  Elamite  vanguard  upon  Assyrian 
territory,  reached  him  in  the  evening  long  after  sunset. 
He  could  not  wait  until  the  morrow  to  go  and  implore 
the  pardon  of  his  jiatroness  for  the  insult  she  had 
suffered  through  her  affection  for  him.  He  hurried  to 
the  temple  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  penetrated  to 
the  sanctuary,  and  went  straight  to  the  prophetic  statue. 
A  single  lamp  burnt  before  it,  and  the  uncertain  light 


312 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  PRESAGES. 


vaguely  defined  its  motionless  form,  and  left  the  re¬ 
mainder  of  the  chamber  in  deep  obscurity.  The  king 
fell  weeping  before  the  goddess  and  raised  his  hands : 
‘  O  lady  of  Arbela  !  I  am  Assurbanipal,  the  creature  of 
the  two  hands,  the  creature  of  Assur,  thy  father,  and 
you  have  created  me  that  I  may  revive  the  sanctuaries  of 
Assyria,  and  complete  in  their  perfection  the  great  cities 
in  the  land  of  Akkad.  I  have,  therefore,  come  here 
to  thy  dwelling-place  to  visit  thee  and  to  adore  thy 
divinity,  when  this  Teumman,  the  king  of  Elam,  who 
does  not  worship  the  gods,  has  risen  against  me,  to 
fight  against  me.  Thou  art  the  lady  of  ladies,  the 
queen  of  battles,  the  mistress  of  wars,  the  sovereign  of 
the  gods,  who,  in  the  presence  of  Assur,  hast  always 
spoken  in  my  favour,  to  turn  the  hearts  of  Assur 
and  of  Merodach,  thy  companion,  towards  me.  Now, 
Teumman,  the  king  of  Elam,  has  sinned  grievously 
against  Assur,  the  king  of  the  gods,  thy  father,  and 
against  Merodach,  thy  brother  and  thy  companion,  and 
even  against  me,  Assurbanipal,  who  have  always  endea¬ 
voured  to  rejoice  the  heart  of  Assur  and  of  Merodach ; 
he  has  assembled  his  soldiers,  he  has  started  his  army, 
and  is  now  ready  for  war,  he  has  demanded  his  weapons 
that  he  may  march  against  Assyria.  Thou,  who  art  the 
archeress  of  the  gods,  throwing  thy  weight  into  the 
midst  of  battle,  do  thou  cast  him  down,  and  pass  over 
him,  like  the  whirlwind  of  a  noxious  storm.’  As  in 
Egypt,*  the  divine  statues  in  Assyria  are  animated  by 
the  spirit  of  the  being  they  represent ;  they  hear,  speak, 
and  move.  Ishtar  was  touched  by  the  prayer  offered  by 
her  favourite  and  by  his  sobs  :  ‘  Eear  nothing,’  she  said 
to  him,  filling  his  heart  with  joy.  ‘Since  thou  hast 
come  before  me,  since  thine  eyes  are  full  of  tears,  I  will 
pour  my  grace  out  upon  thee.’  The  voice  was  then 
hushed,  the  silence  which  it  had  broken  seemed  more 
solemn  than  before,  and  the  king  finding  himself  alone 

*  See  pages  52  and  G2  of  this  volume  upon  the  prophetic  statues 
of  Egypt. 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  PRESAGES. 


313 


under  the  doubtful  light  of  the  lamp,  suddenly  ex¬ 
perienced  the  fear  produced  by  the  presence  of  the 
divinity ;  in  the  midst  of  his  joy  a  shiver  passed  over 
him,  and  his  blood  curdled  round  his  heart.  Now  that 
night,  at  the  time  that  Assurbanipal  was  lamenting 
before  the  goddess,  one  of  the  seers  of  the  temple  had  a 
dream.  The  sky  is  an  open  book  which  all  may  read  ; 
the  privilege  of  consulting  it  is  not  reserved  for  a  few 
men  only — it  is  the  right  of  all.  But  the  gods  have  a 
thousand  means  of  revealing  the  future  to  the  men 
whom  they  favour  with  their  love  or  their  hatred,  and 
dreams  form  the  one  most  often  used.  The  dreams 
which  usually  cross  the  sleep  of  men  resemble  a  nation 
of  aerean  figures  sufficiently  fluid  to  assume  at  their 
pleasure  every  variety  of  form,  and  to  change  them  as 
rapidly  as  they  put  them  on  ;  they  move,  act,  and  speak, 
and  their  least  movement,  their  least  action,  their  lightest 
word,  are  secretly  connected  with  the  events  that  are 
preparing  in  the  life  of  a  man  or  of  a  nation.  Sometimes 
these  messages  from  above  are  conceived  in  a  direct 
language,  and  do  not  require  an  interpreter;  future 
events  are  presented  to  our  eyes  without  a  veil.  But 
usually  they  are  expressed  by  symbols  or  allegories,  and 
then  a  man  versed  in  the  art  of  interpreting  them  is 
required  to  unravel  the  eccentric  or  broken  thread  of 
their  predictions. 

Like  the  astrologers,  these  divines  have  their 
official  manuals;  the  doctrine  contained  in  them  is 
also  the  result  of  observations  collected  by  their  pre¬ 
decessors  m  the  course  of  ages.  One  of  them,  now 
in  the  library  of  Assurbanipal,  teaches  us  what  we 
must  expect  of  fate  if  we  dream  of  monstrous  animals 
that  unite  the  body  of  a  bear,  a  dog,  or  a  lion,  to  the 
paws  of  some  other  animal,  dead  fish,  or  a  fish  with 
birds.  These  are  all  fatal  omens,  and  the  dreamer 
should  recite  a  prayer  to  the  ISun  as  soon  as  he  awakes, 
for  the  orb  of  day  can  weaken  or  even  dissipate  entirely 
the  malignant  influence.  However  spontaneous  dreams 


314 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  PRESAGES. 


may  be,  and  however  independent  they  appear  to  be  of 
all  human  will,  it  is  certain  that  they  can  be  invoked 
bv  repeating  certain  prayers  and  submitting  to  certain 
rules.  There  are  amulets  which  procure,  for  those  who 
wear  them,  truthful  dreams  and  the  power  of  recollect¬ 
ing  them  after  awakening.  In  solemn  circumstances, 
the  dreamer  should  prepare  some  days  in  advance  by 
abstinence,  fasting,  and  prayer,  and  should  retire  to 
an  isolated  room  or  into  a  temple  to  pass  the  night. 
Then,  before  sleeping,  he  mentally  formulates  the 
question  to  which  he  desires  an  answer,  and  if  sleep 
does  not  come  naturally,  he  produces  it  by  narcotic 
beverages,  mixed  according  to  secret  prescriptions  of 
the  divines.  It  then  becomes  a  religious  rite,  that  of 
t  lie  incubation,  in  which  every  moment  is  defined  by 
severe  rules,  according  to  whether  the  gods  in  general 
are  addressed,  one  god  in  particular,  or  merely  the 
souls  of  the  dead.  The  replies  obtained  would  be 
absolutely  reliable  if  the  interpreters  did  not  frequently 
mistake  the  value  of  the  details  which  always  accom¬ 
pany  the  principal  episodes.  From  these  mistakes 
arise  many  disillusions,  of  which  the  faithful  complain 
bitterly,  and  which  make  them  wrongly  accuse  the 
malignity  of  the  gods.  But  the  gods  never  refuse  to 
send  sincere  dreams,  when  they  are  faithfully  asked, 
according  to  the  prescribed  forms.  Is  it  their  fault  if 
the  senses  of  men  are  so  dense  that  they  cannot  read 
their  signification  ? 

Most  of  the  temples  have  their  male  and  female 
seers,  who  are  regularly  attached  to  them,  and  whose 
duty  consists  in  receiving  the  will  of  the  god,  either  by 
direct  revelation  during  the  vigil,  or  indirectly  through 
the  medium  of  dreams.  At  Babylon  a  woman  dwells 
on  the  summit  of  the  many-storied  tower,  and  waits 
each  night  for  the  visit  of  the  god.  In  the  temples  of 
Ishtar,  in  that  of  Arbela,  as  in  that  of  Nineveh,  men 
sleep  in  the  temple  of  the  goddess.  She  manifested 
herself  to  one  of  them  on  the  same  night  that  the  king 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  PRESAGES. 


315 


prayed  to  her  so  urgently,  and  he  related  his  vision  in 
these  words :  ‘  Ishtar,  who  inhabits  Arbela,  came  in 
before  me.  On  her  right  and  on  her  left  side  two 
quivers  were  hanging ;  she  held  a  how  in  one  hand, 
and  in  the  other  a  heavy  sword.  She  advanced  towards 
thee,  and  spoke  to  thee  like  a  mother.  Ishtar,  the  first 
amongst  the  gods,  said  to  thee  in  a  tone  of  command, 
“  Thou  hast  asked  for  victory ;  where  thou  art,  I  will 
he  also.”  Thou  sayest  unto  her,  u  Can  I  go  with  thee 
where  thou  goest,  0  sovereign  of  sovereigns?”  She 
then  answered,  “  Stay  thou  in  the  place  consecrated  to 
Nebo ;  eat  thy  food,  drink  wine,  let  thy  musicians  play 
before  thee  and  glorify  thy  name.  For  I  will  go  down 
to  the  battle,  I  will  accomplish  my  work,  and  thy  face 
shall  not  pale,  thy  feet  shall  not  stumble,  thy  beauty 
shall  not  fail  in  the  midst  of  the  battle.”  She  hides 
thee  in  her  bosom  like  a  good  mother,  and  wraps  thee 
round  on  every  side.  A  flame  will  issue  from  her  for 
the  destruction  of  thine  enemies,  for  she  has  turned 
her  face  against  Teumman,  the  king  of  Elam,  who  is 
odious  in  her  eyes.’ 

If  the  oracle  of  the  stars  had  allowed  any  doubts  to 
remain,  that  which  Ishtar  has  deigned  to  grant,  through 
her  seer,  would  remove  them  all.  The  blasphemies  of 
Teumman  have  enraged  the  goddess;  the  war  against 
Elam  is  henceforth  her  own  war,  and  she  will  lead  it 
herself.  Assurbanipal  need  not  even  join  the  army 
Ishtar  commands  him  to  remain  in  his  palace  and 
enjoy  a  peaceful  life,  whilst  she  will  take  his  place  at 
the  head  of  his  troops  and  will  lead  them  to  victory. 
The  words  of  the  seer  are  promulgated  through  the 
cities,  and  fill  Assyria  with  enthusiasm.  The  soldiers 
are  equally  delighted  with  the  account  of  the  vision. 
They  are  particularly  affected  by  the  predictions.  A 
bad  omen  disconcerts  them,  enervates  their  courage, 
and  delivers  them  over  to  their  enemies  conquered  in 
advance.  Battalions,  that  would  never  hesitate  to 
allow  themselves  to  he  killed  to  the  last  man  in 


31(3 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  PRESAGES. 


ordinary  times,  have  frequently  given  wav  at  the  first 
onset  when  the  predictions  have  been  unfavourable. 
Their  heart  failed  them  at  the  idea  that  the  powers 
above  were  not  on  their  side,  and  the  assurance  that 
they  risked  their  life  for  a  cause  already  lost  paralysed 
their  arms.  But  if  the  stars  are  propitious,  and  the 
seers  promise  them  support  from  the  gods,  they  can  be 
relied  upon  to  make  any  effort  required  of  them. 
Success  springs  from  their  faith  in  the  oracles,  and 
the  army  is  already  more  than  half  victorious  that 
knows  that  its  gods  are  fighting  for  it. 

And  whilst  the  divinities  of  Assyria  are  thus  arming 
for  the  conflict,  those  of  Elam  are  displaying  equal 
activity  in  their  preparations.  Interest  would  force 
them  to  do  so,  even  if  national  pride  were  not  also  an 
incentive.  The  day  upon  which  the  Ninevite  generals 
defeat  their  own  generals  will  not  only  establish  the 
supremacy  of  Nineveh  and  Assurbanipal  over  Teumman 
and  Susiana,  but  that  of  Bel,  Assur,  and  Ishtar  over 
Susinag,  who  inhabits  the  depths  of  the  mysterious 
woods,  and  who  is  present  everywhere,  though  invisible 
to  men,  over  Shoumoudou,  over  Lagamar,  over  Parti- 
kira,  over  Ammankaisbar,  over  Oudouran,  over  Sapak, 
and  over  all  the  divinities  that  the  ancient  kings 
have  adored.  Formerly  they  led  their  worshippers 
to  the  conquest  of  Chaldea,  and  placed  a  dynasty  of 
Elamites  upon  the  throne  of  Babylon  ;  since  then  they 
have  suffered  some  checks,  and  have  lost  the  territory 
that  they  had  won,  but  up  to  the  present  they  have 
always  defended  the  independence  of  Elam  and  pre¬ 
served  the  booty  which  she  had  taken  from  the 
foreigners.  The  statue  of  the  goddess  Nanai,  which 
they  erected  at  Ourouk,  is  still  in  the  great  temple  of 
Susa,  where  the  king,  Koudournankkoundi,  placed  it, 
more  than  sixteen  centuries  ago,  upon  his  return  home 
from  his  campaigns.  There  are  a  few  undecided  and 
timid  men,  even  in  the  king’s  court,  who  fear  the  war, 
and  counsel  him  against  it.  One  of  the  sons  of 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  PRESAGES. 


317 


Teumman  perpetually  reminds  his  father  of  the  great 
power  of  Assyria,  and  repeats  to  him  as  often  as  he 
dare,  ‘  Do  not  hope  for  victory.’  The  generals  and 
courtiers,  as  a  rule,  do  not  share  his  fears,  and  the  gods 
do  all  in  their  power  to  excite  the  courage  of  their 
defenders.  Their  astronomers  reply  to  the  combinations 
of  stars  so  favourable  to  Assyria,  by  other  combinations 
which  foretell  the  coming  triumph  of  Elam.  Their 
seers  oppose  their  own  visions  to  those  of  the  seers  of 
Ishtar,  whom  they  accuse  of  falsehood,  and  the  con¬ 
temptuous  words  which  Teumman  repeats  respecting 
the  goddess  of  Arbela  are  inspired  by  his  confidence 
in  the  prophecies  of  his  own  priests.  Their  oracles 
predict  the  immediate  fall  of  Assyria,  the  pillage  of 
Nineveh,  the  captivity  and  death  of  Assurbanipal. 

The  same  rivalry  occurs  whenever  war  breaks  out 
between  the  two  nations;  the  battle  of  men  is  compli¬ 
cated  by  a  battle  of  the  gods.  The  gods  dwell  in  the 
camp,  invisible ;  they  descend  into  the  thickest  of  the 
fight,  they  protect  the  chiefs  with  their  own  persons, 
and  strike  the  enemy’s  generals  when  they  can. 
Victors,  they  take  the  foreign  gods  as  their  prisoners 
and  exact  tribute  from  them ;  vanquished,  in  their  turn, 
they  bow  to  the  law  of  the  strongest.  Their  statues, 
treasures,  and  servants  are  taken  from  them,  their 
temples  are  destroyed,  their  sacred  woods  cut  down  ; 
they  suffer  slavery,  perhaps  death,  like  the  people  that 
adored  them. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


THE  WAR. 

Rapid  march  of  the  Assyrian  army — Its  arrival  at  Duril  separates 
Elam  from  Chaldea — Teumman  concentrates  his  army  in  front 
of  Susa — Organization  of  the  Assyrian  army — The  infantry  — 
The  war-chariots  —  The  cavalry — The  Elamite  army:  its  position 
at  Tulliz  —  Battle  of  Tulliz  —  Death  of  Teumman — Registering 
the  spoil — Surrender  of  Susa — Proclamation  of  Ummauigas  as 
king  of  Susa,  and  of  Tammaritu  as  king  of  Hidalu. 

The  month  of  Ah  is  very  fatal  to  armed  expeditions, 
but  the  following  month,  Elul,  is  equally  propitious, 
and  as  soon  as  it  opens,  the  army  commences  its  march. 
Elam  is  covered,  upon  the  side  nearest  to  Nineveh,  by 
high,  woody,  almost  impracticable  mountains,  inhabited 
by  the  half-barbarous  tribes  of  the  Kashshi.  They 
could  not  be  crossed  without  great  sacrifices,  and  the 
Assyrians  might  leave  half  their  army  there  before 
reaching  the  seat  of  war.  They  therefore  usually 
attack  Susiana  by  the  south-western  frontier,  towards 
the  spot  where  the  waters  of  the  Ouknou  and  the  Ulai 
join  those  of  the  Tigris  and  the  Euphrates.  Even 
then  the  route  is  full  of  difficulties  for  the  assailants. 
It  is  marshy,  unhealthy,  intersected  with  ponds,  rivers, 
and  canals,  which  interfere  with  the  operations ;  but 
at  all  events  the  invaders  are  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
country  as  soon  as  the  watery  barrier  is  crossed.  The 
army  rapidly  marches  by  the  side  of  the  Tigris,  and 
ten  days  after  starting  has  already  reached  the  city  of 
Duril.  During  the  last  century  the  great  wars  between 
Assyria  and  Elam  have  been  waged  at  frequent  in- 


THE  WAR. 


319 


tervals,  and  Duril  has  acquired  an  importance  that  no 
one  could  have  foreseen.  Here  Sargon  fought  his  first 
battle  against  Umbanigash,  a  hotly  disputed  field,  in 
which  each  party  claimed  the  victory.  He  fortified  it, 
and  established  a  garrison  and  a  governor,  to  whom 
Sennacherib  and  Assurbanipal  confided  the  administra¬ 
tion  of  a  large  territory.  It  is  now  the  centre  of  an 
important  road,  which  commands  the  lower  course  of 
the  Tigris,  and  can  interrupt,  if  it  does  not  entirely  cut 
off,  the  communications  between  Susa  and  Babylon. 

The  rapidity  with  which  all  the  preliminaries  of 
the  action  have  been  carried  out  disconcerts  Teumman, 
and  ruins  all  his  plans.  He  had  counted  upon  a  long 
delay,  which  would  have  given  him  time  to  negotiate 
with  the  Aramean  tribes  or  the  small  Chaldean  king¬ 
doms,  and  to  excite  them  against  Assyria.  His 
manoeuvres  have  succeeded  upon  one  point,  for  the 
people  of  Gambul  have  openly  declared  in  his  favour ; 
but  the  sudden  apparition  of  the  Assyrian  vanguard 
cuts  short  his  intrigues,  and  represses  any  symptoms 
of  rebellion  that  might  have  appeared.  The  army  is 
not  commanded  by  the  king  in  person.  Assurbanipal 
has  carefully  obeyed  the  orders  of  Islitar.  He  remains 
in  his  palace  at  Arbela,  and  forgets  his  anxiety  in  the 
midst  of  festivals  and  banquets.  The  Tartan  of  the 
right,  Belnahid,*  leads  the  campaign  under  the  in¬ 
spiration  of  the  goddess,  and,  by  his  side,  the  Elamite 
princes  command  a  large  number  of  refugees.  As 
they  pass  through  the  country,  they  proclaim  that, 
they  do  not  come  as  enemies  to  place  the  land  under 
a  foreign  rule,  but  as  allies,  who  wish  to  reinstate  the 
legitimate  heirs  upon  the  throne ;  and  this  declaration 
brings  thousands  of  partisans  to  their  assistance. 
Teumman,  abandoned  by  the  allies  Avhom  he  thought 

*  The  tests  do  not  give  ns  the  name  of  the  personage  who  led  the 
campaign  against  Elam.  As  Belnahid  was  in  high  office  at  this 
fpouh,  I  have  placed  him  in  command,  to  avoid  the  frequent  repetition 
of  the  title  of  Tartan. 


320 


THE  WAR. 


he  had  secured  at  the  first  sign  of  the  arrival  of  the 
Assyrians,  cannot  rely  upon  the  fidelity  even  of  his 
own  subjects.  At  the  least  failure,  the  revolution  will 
break  out,  and  he  will  be  lost.  Since  he  has  hut  one 
battle  to  fight,  he  wishes  to  engage  in  it  under  the 
most  favourable  circumstances.  He  recalls  the  troops 
that  he  had  scattered  along  the  frontier,  join  to 
them  the  new  contingents,  and  thus  forms  a  large 
army,  which  he  concentrates  in  the  village  of  Tulliz, 
before  Susa.  The  position  is  admirably  chosen ;  it 
entirely  masks  the  approaches  to  the  capital,  and  com¬ 
mands  the  city  itself,  where  the  partisans  of  the  old 
kings  are  beginning  to  stir.  It  also  covers  the  roads 
which  lead  to  Madaktu,  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
country.  If  successful,  Teuminan  will  regain  all  that 
he  has  been  forced  to  abandon  at  a  single  blow ; 
defeated,  he  can  still  take  refuge  in  the  mountains 
and  there  prolong  his  resistance. 

The  Assyrian  army  is  the  best  -  organized  war 
machine  that  the  world  has  yet  seen.  The  Egyptians 
themselves,  at  the  time  of  their  greatest  power  under 
Thothmes  III.  and  Raineses  II.,  never  disposed  of 
troops  so  well  drilled  and,  above  all,  so  well  equipped.* 
The  art  of  the  blacksmith  and  of  the  armourer  has 
made  so  much  progress  since  that  date,  that  their  best 
troops  would  have  little  chance  of  success  if  they  were 
opposed  to  Assyrian  soldiers.  It  is  the  superiority  of 
weapons,  not  any  superiority  in  courage  and  discipline, 
that  has  secured  to  the  Ninevite  kings  since  Sargon 
the  priority  over  the  Pharaohs  of  the  Delta  of  Thebes 
and  Meroe.  Whilst  the  Egyptians,  as  a  rule,  still 
fight  without  any  protection  except  the  shield,  the 
Assyrians  are,  so  to  speak,  clothed  in  iron  from  head 
to  foot.  Their  heavy  infantry  is  composed  of  spear¬ 
men  and  archers,  wearing  a  conical  cap  ornamented 
with  two  side  pieces  which  protect  the  ears,  a  leather 
shirt  covered  with  overlapping  metal  scales  which 
*  Upon  the  equipment  ot  the  Egjptian  soldiers  see  p.  81. 


THE  WAR. 


321 


protect  the  chest  and  the  upper  part  of  the  arms, 
cotton  drawers  falling  to  the  shins,  close  -  fitting 
breeches,  and  boots  laced  in  front.  The  spearmen 
carry  spears  six  feet  long,  with  an  iron  or  bronze 
head,  a  short  sword  passed  through  their  belt,  and  an 
immense  metal  shield,  sometimes  round  and  convex, 
sometimes  rounded  at  the  top  and  square  at  the 
bottom.  The  archers  have  no  shields ;  they  replace 
the  spear  by  a  bow  and  quiver,  which  hang  over  their 
back.  Their  light  infantry  also  includes  some  spear¬ 
men,  hut  they  wear  a  helmet  with  a  curved  crest,  and 
are  provided  with  a  small  round  wicker-work  shield. 
The  archers  have  no  breastplate,  and  are  associated 
either  with  slingers  or  with  soldiers  armed  with  clubs 
and  double-edged  axes. 

The  spearmen  and  archers  of  the  line  are  usually 
of  Assyrian  origin,  or  levied  in  the  territories  that 
have  been  subject  to  Assyria  for  a  long  time ;  the 
other  troops  are  often  recruited  amongst  tributary 
nations,  and  they  wear  their  national  costumes.  They 
are  arranged  in  companies,  and  manoeuvre  with  a 
regularity  which  foreigners  themselves  admire.  As 
early  as  the  reigns  of  Sargon  and  Sennacherib,  one  of 
the  most  celebrated  Hebrew  prophets,  that  Isaiah  who 
advised  King  Hezekiah  in  his  w*ar  against  Assyria,  was 
astonished  at  their  good  discipline.  ‘  None  shall  he 
weary  or  stumble  amongst  them ;  none  shall  slumber 
nor  sleep ;  neither  shall  the  girdle  of  their  loins  he 
loosed,  nor  the  latchet  of  their  shoes  be  broken.’ 
They  march  with  extraordinary  rapidity,  leaving  no 
stragglers  or  lame  men  behind  them  as  they  go,  and 
their  generals  are  not  afraid  to  impose  fatigues  upon 
them  to  which  the  soldiers  of  other  lands  would 
quickly  succumb.  They  either  ford  the  rivers  or  swim 
across  them  upon  inflated  skins.  In  wooded  countries, 
each  company  sends  forward  a  certain  number  of  pio¬ 
neers,  who  fell  the  trees  and  clear  a  path. 

The  cavalry  are  divided  into  two  corps,  the  chariot 
22 


322 


THE  WAR. 


soldiers  and  tlie  regular  cavalry.  The  Assyrian  war- 
chariot  is  much  heavier  and  more  massive  than  the 
Egyptian.*  The  wheels  are  high  and  thick,  they  have 
eight  spokes.  The  body,  which  rests  upon  the  axle,  is 
square  in  front ;  the  panels  are  full,  sometimes  covered 
with  metal  plates,  or  more  often  painted  or  decorated 
with  incrustations.  The  pole  is  long,  thick,  curved  at 
the  end,  with  an  ornament  in  wood  or  chased  metal — 
a  flower,  rosette,  lion’s  head,  or  horse’s  head.  Each 
chariot  is  drawn  by  two  horses,  sometimes  a  third 
horse  is  fastened  to  their  flank,  but  it  does  not  usually 
draw,  it  is  intended  to  replace  one  of  its  companions 
in  case  of  an  accident  or  a  wound.  The  horses  are 
harnessed  rather  lightly,  and  sometimes  wear  a  kind 
of  armour  in  thick  cloth,  which  covers  their  back, 
chest,  neck,  and  the  top  of  the  head ;  the  pieces  are 
fastened  together  by  tags.  Each  chariot  contains 
three  men — a  coachman  who  drives,  standing  to  the 
left,  a  warrior  with  a  bow  or  spear,  and  a  groom,  who 
protects  his  two  comrades,  but  particularly  the  warrior, 
with  a  round  shield.  Sometimes  there  is  a  second 
groom.  Their  equipment  is  similar  to  that  of  the 
infantry,  the  cuirass  of  metal  scales,  the  helmet,  the 
bow,  and  the  lance.  This  small  troop  has  sometimes 
a  standard,  round  which  it  rallies  during  the  battle. 
A  staff  of  medium  height  is  placed  in  front  of  the 
chariot  between  the  soldier  and  the  coachman ;  at  the 
top  is  a  reversed  crescent  or  a  disk  supported  by  two 
bulls’  heads ;  it  is  decorated  by  two  bulls,  and  by  a 
standing  figure  of  Assur  shooting  an  arrow  (Fig.  153). 

Like  the  Egyptian  chariots,  the  Assyrians  always 
charge  in  a  regular  line,  and  there  are  few  troops  in 
the  world  that  can  resist  their  first  shock.  When  a 
battalion  of  the  enemy  sees  them  coming,  rapid  and 
light,  their  darts  pointed,  their  bows  strung,  they 
usually  disband  immediately  after  the  first  volley  of 
arrows,  and  run  away.  Tho  line  is  then  broken,  and 
*  See  for  the  Egyptian  chariot,  p,  82. 


THE  WAR. 


323 


the  chariots  disperse  over  the  plain,  crushing  the  fugi¬ 
tives  beneath  their  wheels,  and  trampling  them  under 
their  horses’  feet.  Each  chariot  forms  a  movable  fort, 
with  a  sufficient  garrison  not  only  for  fighting  within 
the  walls,  but  for  making  a  sortie  if  necessary.  The 
warrior  gets  down,  kills 
a  wounded  man,  cuts  off 
a  head  ;  or,  placing  him¬ 
self  in  front  of  his 
horses,  well  covered  by 
his  grooms,  he  takes 
leisurely  aim  at  some 
leader  of  the  enemy,  hits 
him,  then  remounts  and 
continues  his  course. 

Formerly  the  chariots 
were  very  numerous  in 
the  Assyrian  armies. 

They  are  less  used  at 
the  present  day,  hut  tra¬ 
dition  gives  them  the 
post  of  honour,  and  the 
king  or  the  chief  general 
always  reserves  for  him¬ 
self  the  privilege  of  lead¬ 
ing  them  into  the  fight. 

It  is  the  distinguished 
branch  of  the  service, 
the  one  in  which  the 
princes  and  great  nobles 
prefer  to  serve,  and  its 
weight  often  decides  the 
fate  of  the  battle. 

Yet  now  the  cavalry  commences  to  rival  it,  if  not  in 
numbers,  at  least  in  importance.  .  It  has  not  been  long  in 
use,  and  the  old  Assyrian  kings,  like  the  Pharaohs  of  the 
great  epoch,  were  unacquainted  with  its  capacity.  Tig- 
lath-Pileser  I.,  Assur-nasir-pal,  and  Shalmaneser  III- 


324 


THE  WAR. 


had  a  few  cavalry,  but  they  used  them  more  as  mes¬ 
sengers  than  as  combatants.  Sargon  and  Sennacherib 
were  really  the  first  to  handle  them  in  great  masses, 
and  to  entrust  them  with  an  important  part  in  their 
strategy.  The  horse  was  at  first  ridden  barebacked  ; 
now  it  is  covered  with  one  cloth,  or  with  a  complete 
caparison  similar  to  that  of  the  chariot  horses.  All  the 
cavalry  wear  helmets  and  cuirasses  like  the  infantry  of 
the  line,  but  they  have  no  shields ;  they  replace  the 
floating  petticoat  by  cotton  drawers.  One  half  of  them 


Fig.  lot. — Assyrim  Cavalry  charging:  the  Servant  leads  the 
Archer’s  Horse. 


carries  the  sword  and  lance,  the  other  half  is  armed 
with  a  bow  and  sword.  The  lance  is  eight  or  nine  feet 
long,  the  bow  is  shorter  than  the  bow  used  by  the 
infantry,  and  the  arrows  are  scarcely  three  feet  long. 
Formerly  each  mounted  archer  was  accompanied  by  a 
servant,  mounted  like  himself,  who  led  his  horse  during 
the  battle  so  as  to  leave  both  his  hands  free  (F  'ig.  154). 
The  art  of  riding  has  made  so  much  progress  during 
the  last  few  years  that  the  servant  has  become  useless, 
and  has  disappeared  from  the  armies.  Now  lancers 
and  bowmen  are  all  trained  to  guide  their  steed  by  the 
pressure  of  the  knees,  and  they  may  be  seen  galloping 
with  flying  reins,  shooting  their  arrows  as  they  go,  or 


THE  WAR. 


325 


else,  halting-  suddenly,  they  quietly  discharge  the  arrow, 
then  turn  and  gallop  off  again. 

It  is  said  that  in  the  last  war  between  the  Cim¬ 
merians  and  the  Lydians  troops  of  cavalry  charged 
each  other  at  full  gallop,  then  mingled  and  fought 
hand  to  hand,  like  regiments  of  infantry,  until  the 
flight  of  the  weakest  or  the  least  brave.  The  Assyrian 
cavalry  have  not  yet  had  the  opportunity  of  trying  this 
manoeuvre,  for  the  nations  with  whom  it  usually  fights 
have  only  chariots  to  bring  against  it.  It  charges  the 
infantry,  is  invaluable  in  the  fight  and  the  pursuit,  and 
reconnoitres  on  the  march  of  an  army.  It  is  then  sent 
some  distance  in  front  of  the  mass  of  the  troops,  to 
search  the  woods,  discover  ambushes,  examine  the  posi- 


Fig.  155. — Assyrian  Cavalry  fighting  in  a  Mountainous  Country. 


tion  of  the  enemy,  and  point  out  the  practicable  roads 
and  the  fords  in  the  rivers.  Sennacherib,  who  often 
made  war  in  mountainous  and  woody  countries,  in  the 
Taurus  and  Armenia,  on  the  borders  of  Media  and 
Elam,  owed  part  of  his  success  to  the  judicious  use 
which  he  made  of  his  lancers  and  mounted  archers. 
Their  unexpected  movements,  the  rapidity  and  length 
of  their  rides,  dismayed  the  barbarians,  who  saw  them 
appear  at  several  points  at  the  same  time,  as  though 
sprung  out  of  the  ground,  when  they  thought  them 
still  a  long  way  off  (Fig.  155).  Dangerous  passes  were 
crossed,  villages  pillaged,  crops  burnt  or  trampled  by 
the  horses  almost  before  the  presence  of  the  enemy  was 


326 


THE  WAR. 


suspected,  and  when  help  came  they  were  already  far 
from  all  pursuit.  If  a  certain  number  of  miners  and 
engineers  trained  in  the  construction  and  handling 
of  machinery  be  added  to  the  cavalry,  we  have  a  com¬ 
plete  enumeration  of  the  elements  of  an  Assyrian  army. 
The  proportion  of  the  different  services  is  always  about 
the  same.  There  is,  on  an  average,  one  hundred  foot 
soldiers  to  every  ten  cavalry  and  every  single  chariot ; 
the  infantry  is  really  queen  of  the  Assyrian  battles. 

The  Elamite  army  is  organized  in  the  same  fashion 
as  its.  rival,  or  nearly  so.  It  has  also  chariots,  cavalry, 


and  infantry,  hut  the  cavalry  are  neither  as  numerous 
not  as  well  drilled  as  the  Assyrian  troops,  and  the 
chariots  contain  fewer  men.  Many  of  them  have  no 
body,  hut  consist  of  a  simple  platform,  upon  which  the 
soldiers  sit  or  stand ;  they  look  more  like  luggage-carts 
than  war-chariots  (Fig.  156).  One  part  of  the  infantry, 
recruited  from  the  plains,  is  equipped  like  the  Assyrian 
archers  and  spearmen  (Fig.  157).  The  remainder  is 
less  well  armed.  They  have  no  cuirass,  hut  a  siriiple 
tunic  with  a  short  skirt,  and  in  the  hair  a  ribbon  with 
the  two  ends  falling  over  the  neck.  In  spite  of  this 
material  inferiority,  courage,  vigour,  skill,  and  tenacity 


THE  WAR. 


327 


render  the  Elamites  formidable  enemies.  They  are 
seldom  routed,  and,  when  defeated,  the  victory  has 
always  exhausted  the  victor  so 
much  that  he  has  been  unable  to 
profit  by  his  advantage,  and  has 
retired  from  the  battle-field  in 
almost  the  same  condition  as 
the  vanquished. 

The  Tartan,  who  has  proved 
their  military  qualities,  minutely 
examines  their  position  before  the 
battle.  Their  line  of  defence  is 
skilfully  chosen.  It  extends  from 
the  shores  of  the  Ouknou  to  those 
of  the  canal  which  passes  before 
the  citadel  of  Susa  and  serves  as 
a  moat  against  an  enemy  coming 
from  Assyria.  In  the  centre  the  village  of  Tulliz  forms 
a  solid  background  to  the  masses  of  infantry,  whilst 
behind,  a  large  wood  of  palm-trees  is  ready  to  receive 


Fig.  157. — Elamite 
Archers. 


Fig.  158. — The  City  of  Susa. 


the  fugitives  in  case  of  defeat  and  to  hinder  the  pursuit. 
A  long  line  of  crenellated  walls,  bristling  with  towers, 
is  clearly  defined  on  the  horizon  above  the  tops  of  the 
trees;  these  are  the  ramparts  of  Susa  (Fig.  158).  The 


328 


THE  WAR. 


city,  built  upon  an  artificial  mound,  like  all  the  cities 
of  Assyria  and  Chaldea,  dominates  the  plain,  and  is 
visible  at  a  great  distance.  To  the  south  and  east, 
immense  gardens,  watered  by  canals  carefully  kept  in 
repair,  make  a  border  of  foliage.  Thick  gloomy  woods 
extend  towards  the  north.  The  profane  are  forbidden 
to  enter  them,  for  the  gods  of  Elam  dwell  there,  in  the 
mysterious  chapels  to  which  only  the  priests  and  kings 
have  access.  From  time  to  time  their  images  are 
carried  to  the  town  to  receive  some  act  of  solemn  public 
worship,  then  return  to  their  retreats,  amidst  the  devo¬ 
tion  of  the  whole  nation.  No  one  amongst  the  people 
knows  what  passes  behind  the  curtains  of  the  first 
trees,  what  bloody  ritual  or  what  voluptuous  mysteries 
are  celebrated  there.  After  each  successful  war  a  part 
of  the  spoil  is  carried  there  which  never  reappears ; 
statues  of  the  enemy’s  gods,  precious  vases,  blocks  of 
gold  or  silver,  furniture,  and  stuffs.  More  than  one 
object  has  been  deposited  there  for  twenty  centuries,  the 
spoil  from  Ourouk,  Sippar,  Babylon,  and  the  more 
ancient  Chaldean  cities  being  stored  pell-mell  with  the 
trophies  more  recently  taken  from  the  Assyrians.  The 
mausoleums  of  the  old  kings  are  built  in  the  same 
neighbourhood ;  some  of  them  are  still  in  a  good  state 
of  preservation,  others  already  damaged  bv  the  action 
of  time.  No  history  could  be  more  tragic  than  theirs, 
for  treason  and  murder  have  made  and  unmade  kings 
in  Elam  with,  perhaps,  more  rapidity  than  anywhere 
else,  and  there  are  few  of  the  sovereigns  united  in  this 
corner  of  earth  who  do  not  sleep  in  a  bloody  tomb.  If 
we  only  take  recent  years,  Susa  bas  changed  her  master 
seven  times  in  half  a  century,  and  three  out  of  these 
seven  sovereigns  have  been  assassinated. 

Teumman  is  surrounded  by  traitors,  and  he  knows 
it.  Simburus,  one  of  bis  most  powerful  vassals,  has 
already  abandoned  him,  and  has  joined  the  Assyrian 
camp  with  his  men  ;  Umbakidinni,  chief  of  one  of  the 
tribes  of  the  mountain,  has  surprised  Istarnandi,  the 


THE  WAR. 


329 


viceroy  of  Hitlalu,  upon  tlie  upper  course  of  tlie  Ulai  ; 
has  cut  off  his  head  and  has  carried  it  to  the  Tartan  in 
token  of  submission.  However,  the  Susians  will  not 
allow  themselves  to  be  affected  by  these  success’ ve 


Fig.  159. — The  remnant  of  the  Elamite  Army  thrown  into  the  River. 


defections,  and  they  receive  the  Assyrians’  charge  with 
their  usual  resolution.  The  battle  commences  by  the 
exchange  of  volleys  of  arrows ;  then  the  war-chariots 


330 


THE  WAR. 


rush  against  each  other,  and  meet  several  times  without 
any  result.  One  last  charge,  led  by  the  exiled  princes, 
at  last  breaks  down  the  resistance  of  the  Elamites ;  the 
uninjured  Susian  chariots  disperse  over  the  plain,  the 
cavalry  follows  them  in  their  retreat,  and  the  infantry, 
influenced  by  their  example,  quickly  disbands.  One 
part  of  the  soldiers  hides  in  the  wood,  the  other, 
driven  back  into  the  canal,  tries  to  discover  a  ford,  or 
to  cross  it  by  swimming  to  gain  shelter  under  the 
ramparts  of  Susa.  (Fig.  159).  The  whole  plain  is 
strewn  with  broken  chariots,  quivers,  bows,  lances,  the 
corpses  of  men  and  horses.  Here  a  group  of  archers 
still  tries  to  resist  the  cavalry  who  harass  it ;  further 
on,  a  wounded  chief,  ready  to  fall  from  his  horse,  raises 
his  hand  to  sue  for  mercy  from  an  archer  who  is  aiming 
at  him.  A  foot  soldier  strikes  down  a  kneeling  Susian 
with  his  club  ;  others  cut  of  the  head  of  the  enemy 
they  have  killed,  and  carry  it  away  as  a  trophy.  All 
the  wounded  who  can  still  stand  upright  are  hurrying 
away  as  fast  as  they  can ;  those  who  are  no  longer  able 
to  walk,  try  to  find  a  bush  or  a  ditch  in  which  they  can 
hide  until  nightfall  ;  it  is  their  sole  chance  of  life,  and 
heaven  knows  it  is  a  very  slight  one !  Every  head  cut 
off  brings  praise  and  part  of  the  spoil  to  the  soldier 
who  brings  it  in ;  the  victors,  therefore,  carefully 
search  the  field  of  battle,  examining  the  long  grass 
and  the  ridges  of  land,  as  though  seeking  ordinary 
game.  The  birds  of  prey  have  already  assembled  over 
the  field,  ready  to  commence  their  odious  meal.  The 
canal  is  full  of  mutilated  bodies  and  of  drifting 
chariots ;  the  Assyrian  archers,  standing  upon  the 
bank,  shoot  at  the  men  still  struggling  in  the  water, 
and  very  few  of  the  fugitives  succeed  in  reaching  the 
other  side.  The  prophets  and  seers  of  Nineveh  were 
right  in  predicting  a  victory.  Tshtar  has  kept  her 
promise,  and  Elam  is  at  the  feet  of  Assyria.  Teumman, 
seeing  the  battle  lost,  escapes  through  the  wood  with 
two  of  his  sons  and  his  most  faithful  generals.  He 


THE  WAR. 


331 


sends  one  of  them,  Itnni,  to  the  Assyrian  general  to 
demand  an  honourable  capitulation — not  that  he  thinks 
that  he  will  obtain  it,  hut  he  hopes  to  stop  the  pursuit 
and  gain  a  little  time.  Ituni  did  not  even  obtain 
a  hearing,  and  in  his  rage  broke  his  bow  with  his 
sword  at  the  moment  that  the  soldier  who  had  taken 
him  raised  the  sword  to  behead  him.  A  few  minutes 
later  one  of  Teumman’s  cousins,  named  Urtaku,  was 
pierced  by  an  arrow  and  fell ;  as  he  rose  an  Assyrian 
rushed  upon  him,  raising  his  club.  Urtaku  did  not  lose 
courage  in  this  supreme  moment.  '  Come,’  he  said,  ‘  cut 
off  my  head  and  carry  it  to  the  feet  of  your  master  : 
may  it  prove  a  good  omen.’  Then  he  bent  his  head  for 
the  fatal  blow.  Howrever,  Teumman’s  chariot  had 
broken  against  a  tree ;  his  horses  v7ere  too  sorely 
wmunded  to  carry  him,  or  had  already  escaped;  his 
faithful  friends  had  been  killed  one  after  the  other : 
alone,  wdth  one  of  his  sons,  he  wras  slowly  retiring  on 
foot.  From  time  to  time  he  turned  to  shoot  an  arrow, 
and  his  proud  carriage  and  sure  aim  discouraged  the 
enemy ;  perhaps  he  might  have  escaped  and  found 
shelter  if  his  nephew,  Tammaritu,  had  not  perceived 
him,  and  at  once  pursued  him  with  some  Susian  exiles 
and  Ninevite  spearmen, 
right  leg  and  he  fell  upon 
one  knee.  Seeing  that 
he  was  lost,  he  vdshed 
that  at  least  he  should 
not  die  unavenged.  He 
pointed  Tammaritu  out 
to  his  son,  and  in  a 
despairing  voice  cried, 

*  Shoot  !  ’  (F ig.  1  60). 

The  shot  failed,  a  flight 
of  arrows  disabled  the 
twro  men  ;  Tammaritu 
himself  cut  off  his  uncle’s  head  and  joyfully  carried  it 
away. 


An  arrow  hit  him  in  the 


9? 


Fig.  160. — Death  of  Teumman 


332 


THE  WAR. 


When  he  returned  to  the  camp  the  battle  was 
entirely  ended.  A  few  detachments  still  hurried  over 
the  plain,  collecting  the  Assyrian  dead  and  wounded, 
picking  up  the  weapons,  and  methodically  spoiling  the 
bodies  of  the  enemy ;  the  remainder  of  the  army  had 
already  returned  to  its  former  position.  The  camp  was 
full  of  soldiers  staunching  their  wounds  or  those  of 
their  comrades,  cleaning  or  straightening  their  weapons, 
congratulating  themselves  upon  having  escaped  death 
this  once  more,  or  lamenting  the  fall  of  a  friend. 
Those  prisoners  whom  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  keep 
were  already  standing  on  one  side,  guarded  by  sentinels. 
The  execution  of  the  others  was  continued  without  a 


Fig.  161.— Reception  anti  Registration  of  the  Heads. 


pause ;  they  were  made  to  kneel  in  long  rows,  their 
backs  to  the  executioner,  their  heads  bowed  so  that  a 
single  blow  of  the  club  broke  their  skulls.  The  scribes 
standing  in  their  large  tents  registered  the  heads  cut 
off ;  every  soldier  brought  some,  threw  them  upon  the 
common  heap,  then  dictated  his  name,  mentioned  his 
company,  and  retired  cheered  by  the  hope  of  a  recom¬ 
pense  suited  to  the  number  of  his  victims  (Fig.  161). 
The  kings  of  Assyria  delight  in  these  hideous  trophies. 
When  they  accompany  the  army  they  preside  over  the 
reception  of  the  heads  and  distribute  the  prizes  allotted 
to  the  soldiers ;  when  absent,  if  the  heads  cannot  all 
be  sent  to  them,  they  insist  upon  seeing  those  of  the 
principal  chiefs.  Teumman’s  head,  presented  to  Bel- 
nahid,  was  by  his  orders  carried  all  round  the  camp  in 


THE  WAR. 


333 


one  of  the  chariots  taken  during  the  battle  (Fig.  162), 
then  embalmed  and  sent  to  the  palace  of  Arbela  by  an 
express  courier ;  as  to  the  corpse,  it  was  left  in  the 
wood,  and  in  a  few  days  the  birds  or  the  beasts  of  prey 
will  have  devoured  it. 

If  Susa  opens  her  gates  to-morrow  and  accepts  the 
new  sovereign  ottered  by  Assyria,  Ummanigas,  the  son 
of  Urtaki,  the  battle  of  Tulliz  will  suffice  to  end  the 
war.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  she  acknowledges  one  of 
Teumman’s  sons  as  her  master,  the  struggle  will  re¬ 
commence,  and  the  gods  themselves  scarcely  know  when 
and  how  it  will  end.  Elam  has  almost  unlimited  re- 


Fig.  162. — Teumman’s  Head  carried  through  the  Assyrian  Camp. 

sources  in  men  and  in  captains.  As  soon  as  one  army 
is  destroyed,  others  can  be  formed  equally  numerous 
and  equally  determined  to  fight.  One  king  is  killed, 
another  rises  in  his  place  and  returns  to  the  charge, 
without  allowing  the  fate  of  his  predecessors  or  his 
own  danger  to  influence  him  in  any  way.  Yet  this 
once  the  partisans  of  peace  carry  the  day  in  Susa,  and 
the  friends  of  the  exiled  princes  decide  the  population 
to  proclaim  Ummanigas.  Early  the  following  morning 
the  Assyrian  guards  see  a  long  procession  issue  from 
the  gates  of  Susa  and  slowly  proceed  towards  Tulliz ; 
it  is  a  deputation  of  the  army,  the  nobles,  and  the 
people,  coming  to  ask  for  their  sovereign  from  the 
victor.  Several  members  of  the  royal  family  are  at 


334 


THE  WAR. 


its  head,  in  festival  robes,  without  their  weapons.  The 
archers  come  next  with  their  hows,  the  quiver  on  one 
shoulder,  the  poignard  in  the  belt ;  then  follows  an 
empty  chariot  led  by  a  groom  on  horseback,  the  chariot 
for  the  new  king.  The  priests  and  singers  of  the  gods 
march  behind,  beating  the  time  with  their  feet,  and 
filling  the  air  with  the  sound  of  harps  and  flutes.  A 
choir  of  children  follows  them,  singing  a  hymn  under 
the  direction  of  the  sacred  eunuchs  (Fig.  163). 

The  plain  has  been  nearly  cleared  since  the  evening, 
and  the  traces  of  the  battle  have  almost  disappeared ; 
but  the  canal  is  still  full  of  corpses,  chariots,  broken 


Fig.  163. — The  Elamite  Musicians  marching  to  meet  the  Assyrians. 

weapons,  and  rubbish.  The  painful  spectacle  contrasts 
strangely  with  the  festival  dresses  and  songs  of  the 
procession  advancing  upon  its  banks.  Belnahid  receives 
the  chiefs  of  the  deputation  in  the  front  of  his  army, 
and  listens  to  their  request  from  his  chariot.  He  sum¬ 
mons  Ummanigas  and  Tammaritu  to  come  before  him, 
and  makes  them  swear  by  their  gods  and  by  the  gods 
of  Nineveh  to  be  always  faithful  allies  of  Assyria,  never 
to  conspire  with  the  sovereigns  of  Babylon  or  with  the 
princes  of  the  Aramean  tribes,  and  to  avoid  any  action 
which  could  injure  the  interests  or  glory  of  Assur- 
banipal.  The  oath  taken,  he  descends  from  his  chariot, 
and  taking  them  by  the  hand  proclaims  Ummanigas 
king  of  Susa  and  Madaktu,  and  Tammaritu  king  of 


THE  WAR. 


335 


Hiclalu,  then  he  presents  them  to  their  new  subjects. 
The  princes  and  warriors  fall  down  before  them  and 
salute  them,  whilst  the  musicians  play  and  sing  louder 
than  before  (Fig.  164).  Elam,  that  on  the  previous 
evening  had  been  content  with  one  king,  now  possesses 
two,  and  ere  long  jealousy  and  ambition  will  cause 
them  to  turn  against  each  other.  Assurbanipal  and 
his  minister  expect  this  :  internal  dissensions  and 
the  weakness  of  her  neighbours  assure  the  security 
of  Assyria.  Whilst  the  two  kings  and  their  escort 
solemnly  enter  Susa  amidst  the  shouts  of  the  crowd, 
a  Ion  g  line  of  prisoners  leaves  the  camp  and  commences 


Eig.  164. — The  Assyrian  General  presents  Ummanigas  to  the  Elamites. 

its  sorrowful  journey  towards  the  north.  Several  are 
almost  certainly  doomed  to  torture  and  death  ;  these 
are  the  generals,  governors  of  the  city,  and  the  nobles 
who  have  most  distinguished  themselves  by  their 
courage,  who  are  being  led  in  chains  before  the  king, 
and  whom  he  rarely  spares  or  forgives.  A  larger 
number  have  been  allotted  to  the  soldiers  or  to  the 
public  treasury.  Amongst  them  are  a  few  men,  but 
the  majority  are  women  and  children,  who  will  be  sold 
as  slaves,  or  serve  in  the  house  of  the  master  to  whom 
the  fortune  of  war  has  delivered  them.  The  majority 
are  reserved  for  a  milder  fate,  and  are  less  prisoners 
than  enforced  colonists.  Assurbanipal  wishes  to  re- 


336 


THE  WAR. 


populate  two  or  three  Syrian  cities  that  he  lias  lately 
sacked,  and  he  has  charged  his  generals  to  take  him  a 
few  thousand  Elamites.  They  travel  in  bands,  under 
the  superintendence  of  a  soldier,  the  men  carrying  a 
small  bag  of  provisions,  which  is  no  inconvenience  to 
them,  the  women  carrying  their  children  in  their  arms 


or  upon  their  shoulders  (Fig.  165).  Herds  of  cattle, 
goats,  and  sheep  accompany  them.  The  luggage  and 
the  sick  follow  in  chariots  drawn  by  mules  or  oxen. 
Many  die  on  the  road  of  fatigue  and  misery,  obliged  as 
they  are  to  sleep  in  the  open  air  upon  the  bare  ground. 
Those  who  reach  the  end  of  the  journey  receive  a  house, 
cornfields,  gardens,  and  vines;  their  first  sorrow  calmed, 
they  are  perhaps  richer  and  happier  than  in  their  own 
country. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


THE  FLEET'  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 

The  land  of  Gambul  and  the  Arameans  of  the  Euphrates — The 
marshes — Bit-Iakin  and  the  emigration  of  its  population  in  the 
time  of  Sennacherib  —  The  fleet  of  Sennacherib  and  the  two 
elements  of  which  it  is  composed :  the  Phcenician  galleys — Em- 
barkment,  crossing  the  sea — The  war  in  the  marshes — The  city  of 
Sapihel — The  blockade  —  Sapping  the  walls — The  war  machines  : 
the  ram  and  the  rolling  towers — Capture  and  destruction  of  the  city. 

The  campaign  is  ended  in  Elam,  but  it  continues  in 
the  land  of  Gambul,  where  the  King  Dunanu  and  Prince 
Nabuzuili  still  resist  the  Assyrian  armies.  Gambul  is 
one  of  the  numerous  small  Aramean  States  which  have 
established  themselves  at  the  mouths  of  the  Tigris  and 
Euphrates,  half  in  the  marshes,  half  upon  dry  land. 
That  portion  of  the  population  that  lives  upon  dry 
ground  is  almost  identical  with  the  Chaldeans  in 
language  and  customs.  They  worship  the  same  gods, 
obey  the  same  laws,  wear  the  same  costume,  and  follow 
the  same  industries ;  yet  the  national  character  is 
affected  by  the  vicinity  of  Elam,  and  is  rougher  and 
more  warlike.  On  the  other  hand  the  inhabitants  of 
the  marshes  are  barbarians  that  live  on  the  produce  of 
fishing  and  hunting.  Like  the  Delta  of  the  Kile,  that 
of  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates  is  an  immense  plain,  always 
being  increased  at  the  expense  of  the  sea  by  alluvial 
deposits.  Where  the  soil  is  sufficiently  raised  above 
the  usual  level  of  the  floods,  cultivation  has  conquered, 
and  wrests  from  it  two  good  harvests  every  year.  The 
cities,  placed  upon  artificial  mounds,  are  surrounded  by 
evergreen  gardens ;  date-trees  and  acacias  grow  along 
13 


338 


THE  FLEET  AXI)  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 


the  canals ;  wlieat-fiekls  extend  in  all  directions,  inter¬ 
sected  by  damp  meadows,  where  innumerable  herds  of 
cattle  graze  peacefully.  Where  the  soil  is  below  the 
level  of  the  river,  the  aspect  is  perhaps  more  desolate 
than  that  of  the  marshes  of  the  Nile.  Foul,  stagnant 
water,  half  covering  a  thick  black  mud,  sandy  islands 
in  seas  of  mud,  here  and  there  woody  hillocks  or 
plateaus  of  pure  healthy  ground,  and  over  all  a  spon¬ 
taneous  growth  of  aquatic  plants — water-lilies,  reeds, 
horsetails,  gigantic  rushes — so  thick  and  so  strong  that 
a  man  can  scarcely  force  his  way  between  their  stems. 
Sparse  squares  of  small,  badly  grown  wheat  in  the 
glades,  these  are  the  fields.  A  collection  of  huts  upon 
some  of  the  highest  points,  these  are  the  villages.  It 
does  not  take  long  nor  cost  much  to  build  them. 
Bunches  of  reeds  are  tied  together,  then  bent  and 
placed  against  each  other  so  as  to  form  arches ;  mats 
hung  over  this  rudimentary  framework,  then  covered 
with  mud,  form  the  walls.  The  inhabitants  go  from 
village  to  village  upon  fiat-bottomed  boats,  which  they 
manage  with  poles.  They  have  hidden  dens,  where, 
in  case  of  war,  they  and  their  families  can  take  refuge, 
abandoning  their  homes  to  the  mercy  of  the  invader. 
To  reach  them  it  becomes  necessary  to  enter  one  of  the 
narrow  canals,  bordered  with  thickets,  each  perhaps 
containing  an  ambush ;  to  cross  the  moving  bogs,  where 
horses  and  pedestrians  risk  being  engulfed,  and  to 
brave  the  poisonous  fevers  which  rise  from  the  stagnant 
waters — and  all  this  trouble  is  merely  to  carry  off  a  few 
thin  cattle,  or  take  one  or  two  dozen  prisoners.  What 
an  end  for  the  veterans  who  have  safely  encountered 
the  dangers  of  twenty  battles  fought  in  the  mountains 
of  Armenia  or  Commagcnia,  in  the  plains  of  Chaldea 
or  Elam,  upon  the  banks  of  the  Nile  or  the  shores  of 
the  Mediterranean,  to  at  last  be  drowned  in  the  liquid 
mud  of  a  marsh,  or  to  fall  ignominiously  between  two 
bunches  of  reeds  under  the  blows  of  a  semi-savage  ! 

Bit-Iakin  was  formerly  the  most  important  of  these 


THE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 


3-39 


small  states.  From  there  came  Merodach  Baladan  to 
conquer  Babylon  and  resist  three  great  kings  of  Assyria; 
there  he  returned  in  his  old  age  like  a  boar  at  bay, 
who,  after  a  long  chase,  returns  to  his  lair  to  face  the 
hunters.  Continually  pursued  by  Sennacherib,  de¬ 
spairing  of  a  successful  resistance,  he  preferred  ex¬ 
patriation  to  submission :  he  assembled  his  faithful 
servants,  carried  his  gods  with  him,  crossed  the  sea 
where  the  Euphrates  flows  into  it,  and  established 
himself  at  Nagidu,  upon  the  coast  of  Elam.  With 
any  other  king  than  Sennacherib  he  would  have  been 
safe.  In  fact,  the  Assyrian  kings  feared  the  sea  for 
many  years,  and  would  not  willingly  venture  upon  it ; 
moreover,  they  had  not  been  acquainted  with  it  very 
long,  except  by  hearsay,  through  the  descriptions  which 
the  Chaldeans  or  the  peoples  of  Syria  gave  of  it.  When 
their  victories  led  them  to  the  shores  of  the  Mediter¬ 
ranean,  they  admired  its  beauty  and  enjoyed  the  plea¬ 
sure  of  sailing  upon  it,  but  prudently  abstained  from 
venturing  too  far  from  the  land.  Sennacherib  then 
conceived  the  bold  project,  unheard-of  before,  of  em¬ 
barking  his  army  upon  a  fleet  and  going  in  search  of 
the  exiles  of  Bit-Iakin  at  Nagidu.  The  execution  of 
this  plan  offered  difficulties  which  would  have  dis¬ 
couraged  a  prince  of  less  adventurous  spirit  The  only 
ships  at  his  disposal  in  those  districts  belonged  to 
Chaldean  states  of  but  doubtful  fidelity,  and  it  would 
not  be  prudent  to  entrust  the  fate  of  a  king  of  Nineveh 
and  his  troops  to  their  care.  Their  ATessels  also  were 
arks  of  ancient  form,  heavy,  round,  had  seaboats,  very 
similar  to  those  built  in  ancient  times  under  Sargon 
the  elder  and  his  son  Naramsin.  Now  Sennacherib, 
during  his  wrnrs  in  Judea,  had  seen  the  sailors  of  Sidon, 
and  the  progress  which  the  Sidonians  had  made  in  the 
art  of  ship-building,  besides  the  skill  with  which  they 
handled  their  sea-horses*  He  had  not  much  difficulty 
in  finding  amongst  his  prisoners  a  sufficiently  large 
*  The  Phoenicians  called  their  vessels  bj’  this  name. 


340 


THE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 


number  of  Phoenicians  to. construct  a  fleet.  He  estab¬ 
lished  two  ship-building  yards,  one  at  Til-Barsip  upon 
the  Euphrates,  where  they  used  the  woods  from 
Amanus  and  Lebanon,  and  the  other  upon  the  Tigris, 
at  Nineveh  itself,  for  the  woods  from  Kurdistan. 

The  ships  built  in  them  were  of  different  forms. 
At  Til-Barsip,  where  the  Phoenician  element  pre¬ 
dominated,  the  style  was  Phoenician;  at  Nineveh  it 
was  Chaldean,  modified  by  the  Phoenician.  The  type 
selected  was  the  most  perfect  known  at  that  date,  the 
galley,  a  vessel  with  a  double  row  of  oars  one  above 


the  other  (Fig.  1G6).  The  hull  was  long,  low  in  the 
water,  with  a  round  keel.  The  poop,  raised  very  high, 
was  curved  back  upon  itself  like  the  ancient  Egyptian 
galleys.*  The  front,  upright  and  flat,  was  armed  with 
a  sharp  spur,  strongly  fitted  to  the  keel,  which  served 
to  pierce  the  enemy’s  ships.  The  two  lines  of  rowers 
were  placed  horizontally  one  above  the  other.  The  first 
rested  their  oars  upon  the  gunnels,  the  others  passed 
theirs  through  portholes  opened  in  the  side  of  the  vessel. 
A  bridge  supported  by  vertical  posts  passed  from  one 

*  For  the  description  and  figure  of  the  Egyptian  galleys,  see  p.  1G6. 


THE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 


341 


end  to  the  other,  forming  an  upper  deck  reserved  for 
the  soldiers  and  the  remainder  of  the  crew ;  round 
shields  suspended  upon  light  woodwork  formed  a  kind 
of  bulwark  the  full  length  of  the  ship.  The  mast, 
upright  in  the  centre  of  the  bridge,  was  embedded  in 
the  keel ;  it  was  held  in  place  by  two  stays,  which 
started  from  the  top  and  were  fastened  to  the  front 
and  back.  The  square  sail  was  supported  by  a  yard 
which  could  be  raised  or  lowered  at  will.  The  ships 
of  the  other  type  had  no  spur,  but  had  very  high 
curves  both  in  front  and  behind,  and  the  prow  was 
ornamented  with  a  horse’s  head,  which  justified  the 
name  of  the  sea-horse.  They  had  no  masts,  but  were 
decked.  They  were  propelled  by  a  double  row  of  oars 
one  above  the  other.  These  were  old  vessels  trans¬ 
formed  into  galleys. 

The  two  divisions  of  the  fleet  were  then  ordered  to 
meet  at  Bab-Salimeti,  upon  the  Euphrates,  at  a  little 
distance  from  the  sea.  The  squadron  of  Til-Barsip  at 
once  descended  the  river,  which  is  always  navigable, 
and  the  voyage  was  accomplished  without  any  diffi¬ 
culty.'*  The  Ninevite  squadron  left  the  Tigris  at  Opis, 
to  avoid  the  camps  of  the  Aramean  allies  of  Elam, 
always  more  or  less  hostile  even  when  nominally  at 
peace  with  Assyria.  It  then  entered  the  grand  canal 
of  Arakhtu,  which  unites  the  Tigris  to  the  Euphrates 
and  crosses  Babylon.  The  canal  had  been  neglected 
for  some  time,  and  though  it  sufficed  for  irrigation  and 
the  passage  of  small  boats,  the  mud  was  very  deep  in 
some  places,  and  vegetation  was  so  thick  that  it  formed 
a  serious  obstacle  to  the  passage  of  large  vessels. 
However,  all  these  difficulties  were  overcome,  and  the 
journey  from  Babylon  to  Bab-Salimeti  was  only  a 
question  of  days.  On  its  way  each  division  had 
embarked  the  troops  it  was  to  carry,  men  and  horses, 

*  I  remember  that  Alexander,  the  same  year  that  he  died,  caused 
a  Phoenician  fleet  to  be  built  at  Thaptu-1,  which  descended  ti  e 
Euphrates  to  its  mouth. 


342 


THE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 


chariots,  provisions,  the  siege  machines  necessary  for  a 
campaign  which  might  last  for  some  time.  Senna¬ 
cherib  joined  the  fleet  with  his  guard,  and  encamped 
upon  the  banks  of  the  river.  This  was  an  imprudence 
which  he  would  never  have  committed  had  he  known 
more  about  the  sea.  The  tides,  although  unknown  to 
the  Mediterranean,  are  very  strong  in  the  Gulf  of 
Chaldea,  and  are  felt  some  distance  up  the  country. 
Their  effects  are  particularly  dangerous  during  the 
equinoctial  periods,  when  the  tides  are  very  high.  The 
waves  then  ascend  and  meet  the  current  of  the  river ; 
the  shock  of  the  two  strong  waters  contending  as  they 
meet  shakes  the  banks,  carries  them  away,  breaks 
down  the  dykes  erected  for  the  defence  of  the  country, 
and  inundates  all  the  surrounding  districts.  This 
annual  event  occurred  during  the  voyage  of  the 
Assyrians,  much  to  their  terror  and  loss.  Their  tents 
were  flooded  and  overthrown  by  the  waves,  the  king 
and  his  guard  were  forced  to  take  hasty  refuge  upon 
the  ships,  and  to  remain  there  for  five  days,  ‘  like 
prisoners  in  a  large  cage.’ 

Sennacherib  then  perceived,  though  rather  late, 
that  he  had  omitted  to  celebrate  the  propitiatory  rites, 
without  which  it  is  not  prudent  to  approach  the  Ocean, 
and  he  attributed  his  misfortune  to  the  displeasure  of 
the  gods.  As  soon  as  the  waters  had  retired  he 
descended  to  the  spot  where  the  river  loses  itself  in 
the  sea,  and  standing  upon  the  prow  of  the  admiral’s 
galley,  he  offered  a  sacrifice  to  the  supreme  god,  Ilea. 
The  traditions  of  the  Chaldeans  relate  that  when  the 
Babylonians  still  lived  in  a  state  of  barbarism,  like  the 
beasts  of  the  fields,  Hea  issued  from  the  waves,  in  the 
form  of  a  fish’s  head  and  a  man’s  body,  or  some  say, 
of  a  man  wearing  a  fish’s  skin,  and  he  then  civilised 
them  (Fig.  1(17).  He  taught  them  to  build  houses  and 
temples,  showed  them  how  to  cultivate  the  land  and 
reap  the  produce  ;  imposed  laws  upon  them,  and  re¬ 
vealed  to  them  the  principles  of  science,  of  the  arts,  and 


THE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 


343 


of  writing.  Other  gods,  resembling  him,  afterwards 
rose  from  the  waves  to  complete  his  work ;  it  is  said 
that,  even  now,  the  sea  still 
occasionally  at  long  intervals 
they  manifest  themselves,  but  no 
one  living  can  boast  of  having 
seen  them.  Sennacherib,  there¬ 
fore,  sacrificed  to  the  god  of  the 
Ocean,  poured  out  a  libation  from 
a  golden  cup,  in  the  sight  of  all 
the  army,  then  threw  the  cup 
into  the  sea,  with  a  golden  model 
of  the  ship  and  the  figure  of  a 
fish,  also  of  gold.  The  gods 
soothed,  the  vessels  unfurled 
their  sails  amidst  cries  of  joy. 

The  cretvs  were  composed  of 
Tyrians  and  Sidonians,  but  also 
of  Greeks  from  Cyprus,  who 
rivalled  the  Phoenicians  in  skill 
and  daring :  they  soon  became 
accustomed  to  the  tides,  and  con¬ 
ducted  the  fleet  to  Nagidu.  The 
shore  is  dangerous,  and  the  in¬ 
habitants  were  armed  and  wait¬ 
ing  for  them  on  the  beach.  Yet 
Sennacherib  disembarked,  took  the  place,  and  carried 
the  fugitives  back  with  him.  Ao  Assyrian  monarch 
had  ever  attempted  such  an  enterprise  before  him,  and 
not  one  of  his  successors  ever  tried  to  rival  it.  Many 
of  them  have  won  greater  victories  and  more  of  them 
than  he  did  upon  dry  land ;  but  he  is  the  only  sove¬ 
reign  who  ever  triumphed  over  the  sea. 

The  conquest  of  Gambul  does  not  require  either  a 
fleet  or  foreign  sailors,  merely  a  large  number  of  the 
flat-bottomed  boats  used  by  the  natives  in  crossing  the 
marshes.  A  large  detachment  of  archers  and  spear¬ 
men,  supported  by  a  few  chosen  cavalry,  was  thrown 


conceals  them,  hut 


Fig.  Ifi7. — Hea,  the 
Fish-god. 


344 


TIIE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY 


into  the  land,  they  captured  some  boats,  constructed 
others,  and  borrowed  some  from  neighbouring  tribes, 
that  dared  not  refuse  to  lend  them,  and  then  the  man¬ 
hunt  commenced.  Whilst  one  portion  of  the  troops 
embarked  and  went  up  the  canals,  the  others  scattered 


Fig.  168. — An  encounter  between  the  Assyrians  and  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Marshes. 


fan-wise  through  the  reeds,  and  slowly  drove  all  their 
enemies  before  them.  The  unfortunate  inhabitants  of 
Gambul  tried  to  defend  themselves  behind  the  widest 
barriers  of  water,  and  sometimes  their  pools  became 
the  theatre  of  real  naval  battles,  which  they  usually 
lost  (Fig.  168).  Their  boats,  loaded  with  women  and 


THE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OE  A  CITY. 


345 


old  men,  were  almost  unmanageable,  and  fell  an  easy 
prey  to  the  invader.  As  the  Assyrians  conquered  the 
land,  whole  populations  left  their  villages  and  took 
refuge  in  their  thickest  hushes,  where  they  hoped  to 
defy  pursuit  (Fig.  169).  It  was  in  vain:  the  cavalry 
followed  them,  famine  drove  them  out ;  the  resistance 
lasted  for  some  time  longer,  but  it  ended  in  the  usual 
way,  by  the  death  of  the  bravest  and  the  captivity  of 
the  others. 

Here,  as  elsewhere,  the  Assyrians  proceed  with 
methodical  cruelty.  The  chiefs  are  reserved  for  tor- 


Fig.  169. — A  family  of  the  Chaldeans  taking  shelter  in  the  Feeds. 

ture  at  the  pleasure  of  the  king.  Some  of  the  warriors 
taken  in  arms  are  executed  on  the  spot,  with  blows 
from  clubs ;  some  of  them  are  reserved  for  incorpora¬ 
tion  with  the  army.  Sennacherib  brought  thirty 
thousand  recruits  of  this  kind  back  from  his  expedi¬ 
tion  to  Nagidu,  and  they  fought  as  bravely  for  him 
in  Armenia  and  Cilicia  as  they  had  done  against  him 
in  Chaldea.  Women,  children,  and  artisans  are  led 
into  slavery,  and  are  sent  to  colonise  some  other 
country,  far  from  their  native  land.  Seeing  the 
minute  care  with  which  these  arrangements  are 
carried  out,  one  wonders  how  it  is  that  a  country  is 
not  utterly  ruined  after  an  Assyrian  army  has  fallen 


34G 


THE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 


upon  it.  Sometimes  the  whole  population  is  taken  at 
a  single  blow.  The  towns  remain  empty  and  the  land 
uncultivated  for  several  years.  Gradually,  however, 
a  few  fugitives  who  have  escaped  the  catastrophe 
issue  from  their  hiding-places,  or  leave  the  neigh¬ 
bouring  cities  where  they  have  found  shelter.  Their 
first  care  is  to  rebuild  their  fallen  Avails  and  their 
houses ;  they  sow  their  fields,  timidly  at  first,  then 
with  more  courage  as  their  numbers  increase.  A  few 
years  of  quiet  and  relative  peace,  in  which  they  try 
to  avoid  recalling  themselves  to  the  memory  of  the 
Assyrians,  easily  restore  their  prosperity ;  the  families 
multiply  with  great  rapidity,  and  new  generations 
arise  as  turbulent  as  their  forefathers.  If  we  reckon 
the  men  whom  the  people  of  Bit-Iakin  and  Gambul 
have  lost  in  battle,  those  who  have  been  massacred  or 
carried  into  captivity,  all  who  during  the  last  century 
have  died  in  exile  of  hunger  and  misery,  it  would  seem 
that  the  country  must  have  been  a  desert  for  many 
years,  yet  whenever  a  war  breaks  out  Assyria  finds 
it  ready — the  people  may  be  conquered  and  weakened, 
but  they  cannot  be  exterminated. 

Whilst  part  of  the  Assyrian  army  searches  the 
marshes,  the  bulk  of  the  troops  is  fighting  against  the 
regular  forces  of  Gambul.  Dunanu  does  not  venture 
into  the  open  country;  he  waits  to  be  attacked  behind 
the  walls  of  Sapibel,  his  capital.  These  are  the  usual 
tactics  not  of  the  Arameans  of  the  Tigris  only,  but 
also  of  all  the  small  princes  that  enter  into  conflict 
with  Assyria.  They  have  rarely  sufficient  troops  at 
their  disposal  to  risk  a  battle,  or  if  their  numbers  are 
great  they  are  too  well  aware  of  the  inexperience  of 
their  generals  and  soldiers  to  hazard  life  and  liberty 
upon  the  chance  of  a  single  blow.  They  prefer  a 
guerilla  warfare,  in  which  their  knowledge  of  the 
country  gives  them  a  great  advantage ;  they  dispute 
every  mountain  pass,  every  river  ford,  and,  if  fortune 
be  against  them,  they  have  still  the  resource  of  defend- 


T1IE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 


347 


ing  themselves  in  their  strong  cities.  They  hope  to 
exhaust  the  patience  of  their  assailants  by  a  long 
resistance  ;  and  it  has  sometimes  happened  that  a  king 
of  Assyria,  after  having  besieged  and  taken  two  or 
three  cities,  has  renounced  the  pursuit  of  the  enterprise 
and  has  retired,  taking  his  booty  and  his  prisoners 
with  him.  Sometimes  a  revolution  breaks  out,  or  some 
barbarous  Iribe  invades  a  province  at  the  opposite  ex¬ 
tremity  of  his  empire.  Reasons  differ,  but  the  result 
is  the  same :  the  Assyrians  beat  a  retreat,  and  the 
prince  whom  they  are  besieging  is  freed  from  them 
for  the  time.  This  method,  almost  infallible  hitherto 
when  blockade  and  famine  were  the  only  means  of 
reducing  a  fortified  city,  is  not  quite  so  certain  now 
that  machines  have  been  invented  which  can  force  a 
breach  in  the  most  solid  walls. 

Sapibel  is  built  in  a  good  position.  It  has  always 
been  difficult  to  take,  but  its  strength  is  doubled  since 
Esarhaddon,  having  taken  it  from  the  Prince  Beli- 
kisha,  repaired  the  walls,  so  that  it  shoidd  be  one  of 
Assyria's  bulwarks  against  Elam.  A  deep  canal, 
always  full  of  water,  serves  as  a  moat  to  the  north 
and  west,  marshes  protect  it  towards  the  south,  but  the 
front  opens  upon  a  plain,  and  is  not  defended  by  any 
natural  advantage.  The  engineers  entrusted  with  its 
fortifications  have  therefore  arranged  their  plans  so  as 
to  rectify  this  deficiency.  A  single  wall,  bristling  with 
towers  made  of  unbaked  bricks,  runs  the  whole  length 
of  the  river  and  marsh  ;  a  double  wall  faces  the  plain. 
The  two  parts  are  of  unequal  height ;  the  external 
wall  is  only  twelve  yards  high  when  the  battlements 
commence,  the  second  one  is  sixteen  yards  high,  and 
the  towers  are  placed  about  every  four  yards  along  its 
curtain.  The  whole  building  resembles  the  fortifica¬ 
tions  of  Dur-Sarginu,  except  in  the  dimensions  and 
form  of  gates.  The  latter  in  Sapibel  have  not  the 
castle  projecting  from  the  wall  in  front  of  them;  they 
cpen  upon  the  plain,  one  at  each  end,  and  are  directly 


348 


THE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 


exposed  to  blows  from  the  outside.  But  the  inner 
wall  has  only  one  gate,  placed  in  the  centre.  Each  of 
the  three  gates  is  flanked  by  two  strong  towers  built 
very  near  each  other. 

As  soon  as  the  frontier  scouts  signal  the  approach 
of  the  Assyrians,  Dunanu  makes  all  his  arrangements 
in  view  of  a  long  siege.  He  forces  the  inhabitants  of 
the  country  districts  to  take  refuge  with  him,  with 
their  corn,  cattle,  and  provisions  of  wine  and  oil ;  he 
then  carries  off  the  still  unripe  fruits  and  crops,  so  that 
nothing  should  be  left  for  the  enemy.  The  men  receive 

weapons  and  reinforce  the 
regular  garrison;  the 
women  prepare  the  bread 
and  food.  The  engineers 
heighten  the  towers  by 
erecting  a  rough  wall  of 
large  osier  rounds  upon  a 
light  framework  hanging 
over  the  battlements  (Fig. 
170).  The  soldiers  them¬ 
selves  take  every  precau¬ 
tion  to  guard  the  part  of 
the  ramparts  confided  to 
them,  and  to  multiply  their  means  of  resistance.  At 
intervals  all  round  the  walls  they  place  heaps  of  stones 
and  shingle  for  the  use  of  the  slingers,  and  of  large 
stones  to  be  thrown  down  upon  the  enemy  if  they 
attack  the  foot  of  the  rampart.  Dunanu,  his  brother 
Samgunu,  and  his  ally  Palia,  the  grandson  of  Merodach 
Baladan,  preside  over  the  final  preparations,  and  en¬ 
courage  the  men  by  their  words.  ‘  No  doubt  the  enemy 
is  powerful,  but  Sapibel  is  strong,  and  has  already  re¬ 
pulsed  more  than  one  attack  ;  she  will  repulse  this  one 
too,  if  her  defenders  show  their  usual  courage.  The 
gods,  who  have  assisted  them  until  now,  will  not  desert 
them  in  this  new  peril.’ 

The  Assyrian  vanguard  advances  to  the  foot  of  the 


Fig  170. — The  Towers  with  their 
extra  Defences. 


THE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 


349 


walls,  then,  finding  them  well  armed,  it  retires  after 
shooting  a  few  arrows.  The  captain  of  one  of  the 
gates,  seeing  them  beat  a  retreat,  imprudently  pursues 
them.  His  troop  is  repulsed,  and  re-enters  the  town 
in  confusion,  leaving  some  ten  men  on  the  ground  ; 
the  captain  himself  is  severely  wounded,  and  falls  with 
ten  others  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  In  these 
cases  the  Assyrians  never  show  quarter.  The  prisoners 
were  taken  in  front  of  the  gates  from  which  they  had 
started  full  of  life  one  hour  earlier ;  there,  under  the 
eyes  of  their  fellow-citizens  who 
arm  the  ramparts,  they  are  im¬ 
paled;  the  posts  with  their  living 
burdens  are  placed  in  a  line,  near 
enough  for  their  friends  to  watch 
their  agony,  yet  too  far  off  for 
an  arrow  to  reach  the  sufferers 
and  end  their  tortures  (Fig.  171). 

This  terrible  punishment  is  fre¬ 
quently  inflicted  by  the  Assyrians 
during  a  war.  It  is  prompted  in 
some  degree  by  natural  cruelty, 
hut  also  by  calculation.  It  is  a 
slow,  painful  death,  for  the  vie-  Fig.  171.— Prisoners  impaled 
thus  often  linger  two  or  three  by  the  Assyrians, 
days  in  great  agony  ;  and  since 

new  prisoners  are  daily  added  to  their  numbers,  if  the 
siege  is  long  the  posts  at  last  stand  like  a  forest  be¬ 
tween  the  two  armies.  This  lamentable  spectacle  often 
weakens  the  courage  of  the  besieged,  and  leads  to  treason 
in  the  garrison  ;  but  it  produces  no  effect  upon  the 
defenders  of  Sapibel.  The  Assyrians,  after  examining 
the  city  on  various  sides,  have  realised  that  it  will  not 
yield  without  a  regular  siege,  so  they  have  decided  to 
commence  operations. 

Their  first  precaution  is  to  erect  upon  the  plain, 
just  beyond  range  of  the  ramparts,  an  immense  en¬ 
trenched  camp,  in  which  their  whole  army  can  dwell 


350 


THE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 


(Fig.  172).  As  usual  it  forms  an  almost  perfect  circle, 
surrounded  by  a  brick  wall,  and  flanked  with  towers, 


like  a  real  city.  Every  soldier  is  something  of  a  work¬ 
man  by  profession,  and  a  few  days  enable  them  to 
finish  the  work.  The  interior  is  divided  into  quarters, 
where  the  tents  are  arranged  in  regular  rows,  like 

streets.  One  part  is 
reserved  for  the  wor¬ 
ship.  Two  standards 
mounted  upon  a 
chariot  represent 
Assur,  always  pre¬ 
sent  in  the  midst  of 
his  armies  :  here  the 
priests  offer  daily  worship  with  the  same  rites  as  in 
the  sanctuaries  of  Nineveh.  Whilst  one  part  of  the  as¬ 
sailants  are  resting  (Fig.  173)  the  others  continue  the 
siege  works  or  scour  the  country.  In  this  way  they 


Fig.  173. — Three  T-  nts  in  an  Assyrian 
Camp. 


THE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 


351 


command  all  the  surrounding  districts,  and  intercept  all 
communications  between  Sapibel  and  the  open  country. 
From  time  to  time  a  messenger  tries  to  get  through 
the  investing  lines,  or  swimming  upon  an  inflated  skin 
attempts  to  enter  the  city  by  the  canal  under  cover  of 
the  night.  If  taken  he  is  impaled,  and  if  successful 
his  news  is  so  bad  that  it  was  not  worth  while  risking 
his  life  to  deliver  it.  The  King  of  Babylon,  alarmed 
by  the  defeat  of  Teumman,  refuses  to  move  ;  the  small 
states  of  Lower  Chaldea  follow 


the  example  of  the  King  of 
Babylon,  and  no  one  will  raise 
even  a  finger  to  help  Grambul. 
Dunanu  is  left  alone  to  bear 
the  whole  weight  of  the  war 
so  lightly  undertaken  at  the  in¬ 
stigation  of  Elam. 


The  Assyrians,  certain  that 
no  assisting  army  is  coming  to 
disturb  them,  conduct  the  opera¬ 
tions  of  the  siege  with  the  regu¬ 
larity  that  characterises  all  their 
military  organization.  From  the 
commencement  of  the  siege  they 


have  established  a  girdle  of  Fig.  174.— The  Assyrian 
slingers  (Fig.  174)  and  archers  Slingers. 

round  the  city,  who  are  charged 

to  maintain  against  the  besieged  a  perpetual  conflict, 
and  never  to  give  them  one  moment’s  respite  from 
morning  till  night,  or,  if  possible,  from  night  till 
morning.  Each  archer  is  accompanied  by  a  spearman, 
who  becomes  his  comrade,  almost  his  second,  for  the  re¬ 
mainder  of  the  siege.  They  are  both  sheltered  by  a  large 
shield  of  wicker-work,  about  six  feet  high,  sometimes 
curved  at  the  top  and  ended  by  a  point,  sometimes  sur¬ 
mounted  by  a  kind  of  awning  at  right  angles  with  it. 
It  is  provided  with  a  handle,  placed  rather  high  upon 
the  inside,  which  enables  it  to  be  moved  without  too 


352 


THE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 


much  trouble.  The  spearman  carries  the  buckler  as  a 
kind  of  movable  rampart,  which  protects  him  and  his 
comrade ;  when  they  are  about 
sixty  steps  away  from  the  wall 
he  stops,  plants  it  upon  the 
ground,  and  the  archer  begins 
to  shoot  (Fig.  175).  The  archers 
from  Grambul  reply,  concealing 
themselves  behind  the  merlons 
of  the  curtain,  or  behind  the 
round  shields  of  the  added  wall. 
A  contest  of  skill  and  vigilance 
then  takes  place,  which  never 
slackens ;  if  an  adversary  ex¬ 
poses  himself,  one  or  two  arrows 
are  at  once  aimed  at  him.  The 
Assyrians,  although  used  to  this 
style  of  warfare,  sometimes 
commit  an  imprudence,  and  some  men  are  lost  every 
day.  However,  their  sappers,  protected  by  this  hail¬ 
storm  of  arrows,  drag  themselves  to  one  of  the  gates 
and  try  to  break  it  down  with  their  axes,  or  to  set 


Fig.  175. — The  Archers  be¬ 
hind  their  Bucklers. 


Fig.  176. — The  Siege  of  a  City:  in  the  centre  an  Assyrian  Soldier 
tries  to  lire  the  Gate  with  a  Torok. 


fire  to  it  with  torches  (Fig.  176).  The  massive 
panels,  studded  with  bronze,  resist  these  attempts,  the 
guards  from  the  neighbouring  towers  pour  upon  them 
projectiles,  javelins,  darts,  blocks  of  stone,  beams,  and 
boiling  water  :  the  sappers  are  clothed  in  a  kind  of 
stuffed  robe,  which  reaches  from  head  to  foot,  but  it  is 


THE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 


353 


of  no  use,  and  they  are  soon  forced  to  beat  a  retreat, 
leaving  half  their  number  upon  the  ground.  They 
return  at  night  with  bundles  of  resinous  wood  and 
pitch,  wrhich  they  pile  against  the  door,  and  then  light ; 
torrents  of  water,  thrown  from  above,  put  out  the  fire, 
and  this  second  attempt  ends  like  the  first,  in  the  death 
of  several  of  their  number  and  the  retreat  of  the  others 
Repulsed  on  this  side,  the  following  night  they  attack 
the  tower  at  the  southern  angle,  and  try  to  undermine 
it  so  that  it  may  fall.  They  take  with  them  similar 
shields  to  those  used  by  the  archers,  then  lean  the 
curved  end  against  the  wall,  and  beneath  this  shelter, 
like  a  tortoise  under  its  shell,  they  attack  the  founda¬ 
tions  of  the  wall.  From  the  top  of  the  tower  the 
besieged  throw  beams  or  blocks  of  stone  upon  them, 
which  crush  them,  flaming  tow,  which  sets  fire  to  their 
cloaks,  but  nothing  daunts  the  workers ;  at  last  a  small 
troop,  led  by  Dunanu  himself,  secretly  issues  from  the 
postern,  and  gliding  along  close  under  the  wall  sur¬ 
prises  them  in  the  darkness,  kills  some  of  them,  puts 
the  others  to  flight,  then  re-enters  the  city  with  the 
shields  and  some  twenty  prisoners.  The  latter  are  at 
once  impaled,  and  on  the  following  morning  the 
Assj'rians  perceive  the  bodies  of  their  comrades  ex¬ 
posed  upon  the  ramparts  ;  on  either  side  it  is  a  struggle 
in  which  no  quarter  is  shown,  and  the  besieged,  feeling 
themselves  condemned,  avenge  themselves  beforehand 
for  the  tortures  they  will  have  to  endure.  But,  after 
all,  these  are  merely  feigned  attacks  intended  to  weary 
the  enemy.  Whilst  this  desultory  fighting  is  carried 
on  at  the  outposts,  the  engineers  in  the  camp  are 
finishing  the  construction  of  the  siege  machines.  The 
battering-ram  in  all  its  forms  has  been  in  use  in  many 
parts  of  the  world  for  a  long  time :  sometimes  it  is  a 
simple  iron-tipped  beam,  carried  by  twenty  men — this 
is  the  most  rudimentary  engine  used  in  besieging  cities; 
then  there  is  the  mounted  ram,  in  which  the  beam  is 
suspended  to  a  framework  erected  at  the  foot  of  the 
?4 


354 


THE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 


walls  and  propelled  with  cords  ;  lastly,  there  is  the 
movable  ram,  which  is  the  same  as  the  preceding  one, 
established  upon  four  or  six  wheels,  which  enable  it  to 
be  taken  near  the  walls  or  withdrawn  at  pleasure.  It 
is  covered  with  a  real  carapace  of  fresh  ox-skins  or 
thick  woollen  stuff,  rounded  at  the  top  so  as  to  with¬ 
stand  the  shock  of  large  projectiles,  and  it  is  sur¬ 
mounted  by  a  whole  or  half  cupola  over  the  fastenings 
of  the  cables  which  support  the  beam.  This  primitive 
shelter  is  frequently  transformed  into  a  kind  of  movable 
fortress,  and  the  dome  becomes  a  tower,  where  archers 
and  soldiers  stand,  harassing  the  besieged  and  pre¬ 
venting  them  from  setting  tire  to  the  machine  with 
their  torches. 

The  rams  are  placed  in  batteries  at  some  distance 
from  the  rampart,  so  that  some  of  them  are  directed 
upon  a  tower,  others  between  two  towers,  at  the  weak 
points  of  the  wall.  The  portion  of  ground  which  they 
are  to  cross  is  then  levelled,  and  if  in  any  places  the 
soil  is  too  soft  to  bear  their  weight,  a  regular  paved 
way  is  made,  over  which  they  can  pass  safely.  The 
besieged  interfere  with  these  preliminary  works  as 
much  as  they  possibly  can,  but  they  cannot  succeed  in 
stopping  them.  The  machines  advance,  each  propelled 
by  a  hundred  men.  Two  days  are  required  to  cross  the 
short  distance  which  separates  them  from  the  wall,  but 
at  last  arrived  within  range,  they  commence  work  with 
activity,  as  though  making  up  the  time  lost  in  their 
transport.  At  a  given  signal  the  men  seize  the  ends 
of  the  ropes  attached  to  the  beam,  and  pull  them  all 
together.  The  first  effort  is  always  great,  for  the  beam 
is  heavy,  the  iron  point  of  the  lance  or  the  square  mass 
of  metal  with  which  it  is  provided  being  of  considerable 
weight.  Still,  it  begins  to  play,  slowly  at  first,  then 
with  stronger  oscillations,  until  the  head  strikes 
any  obstacle  opposed  to  it  with  great  force.  The  wall 
trembles,  a  few  bricks  are  detached  or  crushed  (Fig. 
177),  and  the  shocks,  continuing  with  great  regularity, 


THE  FLEET  AND  1  HE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 


355 


soon  open  a  breach,  in  each  of  the  six  points  of  attack. 
The  garrison,  unable  to  prevent  the  battery  from  being 
mounted,  now  tries  to  paralyse  the  engine  or  to  destroy 
it.  Chains  are  lowered,  with  running  knots  or  hooks, 
which  seize  the  head  of  the  ram  and  stop  its  move¬ 
ments.  The  Assyrians  resist,  and  it  becomes  a  trial  of 
strength,  which  sometimes  gives  an  advantage  to  the 


Fig.  177. — The  Battering  Rams  opening  the  breach  in  the  Wall. 


besieged  (Fig.  178).  They  get  possession  of  the  beam, 
or  break  it  with  an  enormous  block  of  stone.  Still  the 
torches,  the  lighted  tow,  the  burning  pitch,  and  the 
pots  of  lire  pour  upon  the  roofings,  yet  the  Assyrians 
continue  the  attack  quite  imperturbably  ;  when  a  ram  is 
damaged,  another  beam  is  speedily  fixed  to  it,  and  in  a 
few  moments  the  assault  is  recommenced. 

Squadrons  of  men  serve  in  relays,  the  flights  of 
arrows  never  cease,  the  miners  sap  the  foot  of  the 
towers,  so  that  no  respite  is  given  to  the  defenders  to 
enable  them  to  concentrate  their  attention  upon  one 
point.  Whilst  the  struggle  rages  furiously  round  the 
rams,  a  hundred  men,  chosen  for  their  courage,  enter 


35  G 


THE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 


the  marshes  soon  after  nightfall,  provided  with  long 
ladders.  Several  of  them  sink  in  the  mud  ;  those  who 
reach  the  wall  plant  the  ladders  against  it,  and  finding 
them  too  short  by  some  feet,  yet  manage,  by  climbing 
upon  each  other’s  shoulders,  to  reach  the  top.  They 
kill  the  only  sentinel  on  guard  upon  that  side,  seize  the 
two  adjacent  towers,  and  loudly  proclaim  their  success. 
The  garrison,  utterly  discouraged,  gives  way,  in  spite 
of  the  entreaties  of  their  leaders  ;  a  door  is  soon  forced, 
and  gives  a  free  passage  to  the  assailants,  who  spread 


Fig.  178. — Scenes  from  a  Siege.  To  the  right,  the  archers  under  the 
shield,  and  the  movable  ram,  which  the  besieged  endeavour  to 
disarm.  In  the  centre,  two  unarmed  sappers  open  a  mine  ;  to  the 
left,  two  sappers  in  armour  attack  the  foot  of  a  wall.  The  river 
is  in  front. 

through  the  town  and  begin  to  pillage  it.  At  day¬ 
break  a  few  isolated  groups  of  soldiers  still  resist ; 
by  noon  the  struggle  is  over,  and  the  fall  of  Sapibel 
completes  the  conquest  of  Grambul. 

The  whole  population  is  led  captive  into  Assyria, 
and  the  city  is  destroyed.  The  houses  are  burnt,  the 
walls  thrown  down  so  methodically  that  not  one  brick 
rests  upon  another ;  the  palm-trees  and  fruit-trees  are 
then  cut  down  (Fig.  .179),  the  dykes  which  protected 
the  fields  are  broken,  and  the  rubbish  taken  from 
them  is  used  to  choke  the  canals.  Assyria  does  not 


Fig.  179. — The  Assyrians  felling  Trees  in  an  Enemy’s  Country. 


358 


THE  FLEET  AND  THE  SIEGE  OF  A  CITY. 


acknowledge  that  other  nations  have  a  right  to  make 
war  upon  her.  If  they  resist  her  will  they  are  treated 
as  rebellious  and  sacrilegious  subjects  for  whom  no 
punishment  is  too  severe.  The  only  moderation  she 
uses  in  her  treatment  of  them  is  dictated  by  the  amount 
of  strength  she  knows  or  supposes  them  to  possess. 
She  paused  after  the  battle  of  Tulliz,  and  was  content 
with  dividing  Elam  into  several  kingdoms  which  paid 
homage  to  her;  but  she  knew  that  a  prolonged  struggle 
might  not  end  to  her  advantage,  and  she  never  abuses 
her  success  where  she  fears  that  abuse  of  it  may  entail 
revenge.  She  razes  Sapibel  to  the  ground,  and  destroys 
almost  all  the  population  of  Grambul,  because  she 
knows  it  can  be  done  with  impunity.  The  nation  is  too 
small  to  raise  an  army  by  itself  numerically  strong 
enough  to’  oppose  the  Assyrian  forces.  The  anger  of 
Assur  and  Ishtar  is  never  imprudent ;  they  only  give 
free  vent  to  it  at  the  expense  of  the  weak,  and  the 
excesses  in  which  Assyria  indulges  towards  them  amply 
compensates  for  the  self-restraint  which  she  is  obliged 
to  exercise  from  time  to  time  towards  the  strong. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


THE  TRIUMPH. 

Assurhanipal  receives  the  ambassadors  from  Uratu — Nineveh  and  its 
palace — War  is  a  commercial  operation  which  enriches  Assyria — 
The  prisoners — The  execution  of  the  vanquished  chiefs — Assyrian 
banquet  and  festivities  —  The  festival  in  the  harem — The  head  of 
Teumman — The  song  of  triumph — Prophecy  of  Nahum,  the 
Elkoshite. 

"Whilst  these  victories  have  been  won  for  him,  Assur- 
banipal  has  not  been  inactive  in  the  palace  of  Arbela. 
He  lias  banqueted,  bunted,  sacrificed  to  Ishtar  even 
more  often  than  bis  generals  bave  marched,  pillaged, 
and  given  battle.  He  has  even  received  foreign  em¬ 
bassies,  to  whom  be  has  displayed  bis  booty  and  paraded 
bis  success.  Rousa,  the  king  of  Urartu,  has  sent  bis 
nobles  to  conclude  a  peace.  To  Assyria  Urartu  is  no 
longer  the  formidable  enemy  that  Tiglath-Pileser  III. 
and  Sargon  bad  so  much  trouble  in  defeating.  Its 
forces  bave  been  exhausted  in  the  struggle,  and  some 
tribes  from  the  west  are  contending  with  it  for  the 
cantons  of  the  Euphrates,  over  which  its  authority  has 
extended  for  many  centuries.  In  order  to  concentrate 
all  bis  strength  against  them,  Rousa  wishes  to  remain 
on  good  terms  with  bis  neighbour  in  Nineveh ;  the 
friendship,  or,  at  least,  the  neutrality,  of  Assyria  is 
well  worth  a  few  presents  and  a  few  words  of  praise, 
even  of  submission.  Assurbanipal  received  the  am¬ 
bassadors  in  a  public  audience,  and  showed  them  the 
two  Susian  envoys,  Umbadara  and  Nabudamiq,  in 


360 


THE  TRIUMPH. 


chains.  He  wishes  to  give  them  a  practical  lesson, 
showing  the  danger  of  provoking  his  wrath,  and,  con¬ 
sequently,  the  advantages  which  foreign  sovereigns 
will  gain  by  retaining  his  favour.  The  Armenians 
retire,  properly  impressed,  and  after  their  departure 
Assurbanipal  resumes  his  life  of  indolence  and  pleasure. 

Day  by  day,  couriers  arrive,  bringing  news  of  some 
fresh  success,  the  arrival  at  Duril,  the  hasty  retreat  of 
the  Elamites,  the  victory  of  Tulliz,  the  death  of 
Teumman,  the  accession  of  Ummanigas  and  Tammaritu, 
the  siege  and  capture  of  Sapibel,  and  the  speedy  return 
of  the  victors  with  their  spoil.  It  is  customary  for 
kings  returning  from  war  to  re-enter  their  capital  in 
triumph.  The  prisoners  head  the  procession,  then 
comes  the  tribute  paid  by  the  conquered  nations,  and 
the  festival  ends  by  the  torture  of  the  chief  leaders  of 
the  rebellion.  Assurbanipal  makes  every  arrangement 
for  the  ceremony  ;  when  the  day  arrives,  he  places 
himself  at  the  head  of  the  victorious  army,  and  leads 
the  way  into  Nineveh. 

The  capital  of  Assyria  is  not,  like  Dur-Sarginu,  a 
city  built  all  at  once,  upon  an  arranged  plan.  It  has 
grown  up  in  the  course  of  years,  through  the  slow 
increase  of  buildings  and  men,  and  still  retains  the 
disorderly  appearance  of  ancient  times.  It  rises  upon 
the  left  bank  of  ike  Tigris,  at  its  confluence  with  the 
Ivkosr,  and  in  form  it  resembles  an  irregular  trapeze, 
much  longer  than  it  is  wide.  The  district  which 
borders  the  river  is  protected  by  a  single  wall,  and  but 
one  wall  defends  the  northern  side ;  in  front  of  it  is  a 
wide  moat,  filled  by  water  from  the  Khosr.  The 
southern  quarters,  which  face  the  plain,  and  which  have 
no  natural  protection,  are  sheltered  from  attack  by  a 
skilful  arrangement  of  the  ground.  There  is  first  a 
wall,  similar  to  those  on  the  other  sides,  and  also  pro¬ 
vided  with  a  moat ;  then,  in  front  of  the  moat,  stands 
a  fortification  shaped  like  a  half  moon,  consisting  of 
two  thick  walls  and  a  second  moat  as  wide  as  the  first. 


THE  TRIUMPH. 


361 


The  road  from  Arbela  crosses  these  defences,  and, 
passing  through  the  city,  leads  to  the  artificial  mound 
upon  which  the  southern  palace  is  built,  the  old  resi¬ 
dence  of  the  former  kings,  magnificently  restored  by 
Sennacherib.  The  hand  of  this  great  monarch  has  left 
many  traces  in  Nineveh.  He  endowed  it  with  aque¬ 
ducts  to  bring  fresh,  clear  wrnter  from  the  neighbouring 
hills;  he  constructed  brick  quays  by  the  sides  of  Tigris, 
and,  finally,  in  a  bend  of  the  Khosr,  he  erected  the 
finest  of  the  Assyrian  palaces,  the  one  in  which  his  son, 
Esarhaddon,  and  his  grandson,  Assurbanipal,  -have 
reigned  after  him.  The  latter  has  ornamented  the 
wall  with  representations  of  his  hunting  exploits  and 
victories;  he  has  also  arranged  a  large  library  within 
it,  which  contains  the  works  of  ancient  and  modern 
scribes  which  he  has  collected. 

The  plan  of  the  Ninevite  palaces  is  very  similar  to 
that  of  Sargon’s  palace  at  Dur-Sarginu.  They  are 
reached  by  inclined  paths,  or  by  double  staircases  built 
in  the  flanks  of  the  artificial  mound  which  supports 
them.  The  facades  have  the  same  effect  of  fortresses 
covered  with  battlements  and  bordered  with  towers. 
The  gates  are  decorated  with  masts,  and  open  between 
two  rows  of  winged  bulls.  The  harem  has  separate 
apartments,  which  scarcely  communicate  with  the  main 
building,  only  a  few  narrow  doors  opening  between 
them ;  gardens  are  annexed  to  them,  in  which  cypress 
and  cedar-trees  are  blended  with  bowers  of  vines  and 
gay  beds  of  flowers.  Lastly,  the  storied  tower  rises  at 
an  angle,  as  though  it  typified  the  protection  of  the 
gods  extended  over  the  city  lying  beneath  it.  The 
Assyrians  do  not  care  to  vary  the  type  and  arrange¬ 
ment  of  their  monuments.  The  plans  received  from 
their  ancestors  are  considered  suitable  for  themselves, 
and  they  faithfully  adopt  them,  at  least  in  all  the  chief 
lines.  Yet  in  foreign  lands  they  have  seen  master¬ 
pieces  of  the  builders’  art  which  a  people  less  wedded 
to  its  own  traditions  would  have  been  tempted  to 


362 


THE  TRIUMPH. 


imitate.  They  have  entered  the  palaces  of  the  TTittite 
kings,  and  have  borrowed  their  custom  of  building 
their  walls  in  stone  up  to  the  top ;  but  they  have 
stopped  there,  and  the  palaces  in  the  Khita  style,  as 
they  call  them,  are  simple  Chaldean  edifices  of  stone 
instead  of  brick.  They  are  acquainted  with  the  temple 
of  Iahveh  at  Jerusalem,  and  that  of  Melkarth  at  Tyre ; 
they  have  pillaged  the  immense  structures  of  Ptah  at 
Memphis,  of  Amen  at  Thebes,  but  it  has  never  occurred 
to  them  to  copy  their  style.  Esarhaddon  has  taken 

from  Egypt  only  the  type 
of  griffon  crowned  with 
thediskof  Ra  (Fig.  179*), 
and  in  the  palace  of  As- 
surbanipal  figures  may  be 
seen  in  which  the  body 
of  the  Egyptian  lion  is 
rather  heavily  blended 
with  the  wings  and  the 
human  head  of  the  an¬ 
cient  bulls.  With  that 
exception,  the  buildings  of  the  present  day  are  still 
constructed  according  to  the  rules  established  by  the 
Chaldeans ;  and  the  architects  of  Goudea,  if  they  re¬ 
turned  to  this  world,  might  claim  for  themselves  the 
most  recent  work  of  modern  architects. 

The  soldiers  of  the  different  regiments  march 
through  the  streets  amidst  the  acclamations  of  the 
crowd,  followed  by  the  prisoners  and  the  booty ;  then 
the  king  advances  upon  his  chariot,  succeeded  by  more 
soldiers.  The  head  of  the  procession  is  already  in  front 
of  the  prison,  before  the  last  lines  of  it  have  passed 
the  gates,  they  are  still  in  the  suburbs.  The  rich  booty 
excites  general  admiration.  The  Elamite  chariots  and 
all  the  material  for  war  open  the  march,  the  horses  of 
the  Susian  cavalry  and  the  mules  that  belonged  to  the 
king  are  led  past  bridled  and  harnessed  (Fig.  180) 
ready  for  service.  They  are  of  the  same  race  as  the 


Fig.  179*. — A  Griffon  in  the 
Egyptian  style. 


THE  TRIUMPH. 


363 


Assyrian  horses,  but  are  easily  distinguished  from  the 
Egyptian  species  ;  this  fact  is  confirmed  by  all  the 
Ninevites  who  witnessed  the  triumph  of  Assurbanipal 


Fig.  180. — The  Horses  beirig  led  past. 


after  his  victories  over  Pharaoh  Taharka  and  his  son- 
in-law  Urdamani.  The  head  is  small,  but  well-shaped, 
the  nostrils  widely  opened,  the  eyes  lively,  the  neck 


and  shoulders  arched  and  fairly  strong,  the  body  is 
heavy,  the  legs  delicate  and  muscular.  A  few  camels 
taken  at  Gambul  follow  the  horses  (Fig.  181).  These 
grotesque  animals  come  from  Arabia,  where  they  are 
used  to  carry  burdens  and  for  crossing  the  desert. 


364 


THE  TRIUMPH. 


They  have  only  one  hump,  whereas  the  camels  of  the 
East,  which  are  sometimes  seen  in  Nineveh  as  objects 
of  curiosity,  have  two.  The  number  of  oxen  and  small 
animals  has  greatly  diminished  on  the  road  between 
the  frontiers  of  Elam  and  Gambul  and  the  gates  of  the 
capital.  The  army  and  the  prisoners  have  eaten  some 
of  them,  a  great  many  have  died  of  fatigue  or  have 
fallen  victims  to  the  beasts  of  prey.  Those  which 
survive  are  still  so  numerous  that  only  part  of  them 
are  admitted  into  the  procession ;  the  others  are  left 
outside  the  city  in  charge  of  the  herdsmen,  until  they 
can  be  divided  between  the  royal  treasury  and  the 
soldiers  who  have  assisted  in  the  campaign. 

The  beasts  are  succeeded  by  bands  of  slaves  carrying 
the  furniture  and  precious  objects  taken  from  the  van¬ 
quished —  statues  of  the  gods  in  gold  or  silver,  vases 
used  for  the  sacrifices,  tripods  and  armchairs  in  chiselled 
bronze,  all  the  treasures  of  Dunanu,  all  the  wealth  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Sapibel.  The  bars  of  gold  and  silver 
may  be  counted  by  thousands  ;  there  are  masses  of  tin, 
iron,  and  bronze,  of  linen  and  woollen  garments.  And 
this  is  the  produce  of  a  single  expedition,  the  booty 
won  by  the  pillage  of  a  few  provinces  of  Elam  and  the 
small  land  of  Gambul.  What  is  it,  then,  when  a  city 
like  Tyre  or  a  people  like  the  Egyptians  are  spoiled  ? 
It  is  easy  now  to  understand  the  Assyrians’  love  of  war, 
and  why  their  kings  organize  all  their  strength  with 
a  view  to  conquest.  It  is  not  simply  a  brutal  ardour 
or  a  disinterested  search  for  glory,  but  something  more 
positive — the  desire  to  win  profit  and  wealth.  Other 
nations  venture  upon  the  ocean  and  trade  with  bar¬ 
barians  beyond  the  seas  ;  others  are  agricultural ;  others 
seek  an  honest  means  of  winning  fortune  by  industry 
and  quiet  commerce.  The  Assyrians  make  war.  War 
feeds  them,  clothes  them,  exempts  them  from  industry ; 
to  them  war  replaces  trade,  or  rather  war  is  to  them 
merely  a  commercial  operation,  in  which  they  risk 
soldiers  and  horses  in  order  to  win  everything  else. 


THE  TRIUMPH. 


365 


They  have  fought  in  Chaldea,  in  Syria,  in  Elam,  in 
Armenia,  in  Egypt,  in  Media;  they  Mull  fight  anywhere 
to  fill  their  own  coffers  and  the  treasure-house  of  their 
prince  with  the  wealth  of  the  whole  world. 

The  prisoners,  marching  in  close  column,  follow 
the  men  carrying  the  spoil.  The  first  rows  are  com¬ 
posed  of  the  male  and  female  singers  who  belonged  to 
Dunanu,  and  sang  before  him  in  the  days  of  his  great¬ 
ness,  when  he  passed  in  solemn  procession  down  the 
streets  of  Sapibel.  The  harp  on  the  arm,  the  flute  at 
the  lips,  they  advance  still  playing,  still  singing  the 
old  hymns,  but  now  under  the  superintendence  of 
Assyrian  soldiers  and  amidst  the  derisive  applause  of 
the  crowd.  The  Elamites  and  the  remnant  of  the 
peoples  of  Gambul  follow  them.  The  Assyrians  have 
not,  like  the  Egyptians,  the  habit  of  fastening  their 
prisoners  in  awkward  and  painful  attitudes,  which 
inconvenience  their  movements  and  make  them 
resemble  grotesque  marionettes.  A  few  are  hand¬ 
cuffed  and  have  irons  on  their  feet,  but  the  majority 
are  unchained.  They  advance  -without  any  distinction 
of  rank  and  sex,  the  noble  walking  by  the  commoner, 
women  with  men,  all  classes  merged  in  the  same  shame, 
in  the  same  slavery.  Their  clothes,  covered  with  mud 
and  dirt,  are  merely  shapeless,  colourless  rags,  which 
scarcety  conceal  their  forms.  The  children,  still  too 
young  to  understand  their  misfortune,  watch  with  a 
mixture  of  fear  and  curiosity  the  multitude  which 
hurries  to  see  them  pass.  The  young  girls  and  women 
are  in  terror,  wondering  what  their  fate  will  be  in  the 
division  of  the  spoil  ;  into  what  hands  they  will  fall, 
into  those  of  a  brutal  soldier,  or  of  an  officer  of  rank,  in 
those  household  they  will  at  least  enjoy  some  of  the 
abundance  and  luxury  to  which  they  are  accustomed. 
Instances  have  been  known  of  kings  themselves  falling 
in  love  with  the  captives  they  have  led  in  triumph 
behind  their  chariot,  and  more  than  one  foreigner  has 
entered  an  Assyrian  harem  as  a  slave,  afterwards  to  reign 


366 


THE  TRIUMPH. 


there  as  a  queen.  The  freemen  look  anxious  and  gloomy. 
Those  who  are  strong  and  skilful  in  warlike  exercises 
hope  to  be  soon  noticed  and  incorporated  with  the 
army;  military  slavery  does  not  alarm  them,  and  they 
would  a  hundred  times  rather  carry  arms  for  their 
conquerors  than  work  in  the  fields  or  fulfil  the  menial 
offices  exacted  from  domestic  slaves.  The  men  born 
in  slavery  are  careless  and  almost  gay.  Service  for 
service,  it.  makes  little  difference  to  them  whether  it  is 
at  Nineveh  or  at  Sapibel ;  they  do  not  change  their 
position,  merely  their  owners,  and  many  of  them  do 
not  even  dissimulate  their  cruel  joy  in  seeing  the 
humiliation  and  fall  of  their  former  masters. 

One  group  particularly  interests  the  Ninevites  and 
rouses  their  acclamations ;  it  is  formed  of  the  principal 
chiefs  taken  prisoners  at  Tulliz  and  during  the 
campaign  at.  Gambul — Dunanu,  his  brother  Sangunu, 
Palia,  Nabuzalli,  their  wives  and  children.  Dunanu 
wears  the  head  of  Teumman  suspended  round  his  neck. 
Perhaps  he  secretly  envies  the  fate  of  his  ally,  who  has 
at  least  died  on  the  field  of  battle,  and  has  nothing 
more  to  fear  from  the  cruelty  of  man  ;  yet  his  carriage 
and  features  betray  no  sign  of  his  thoughts.  He  walks 
proudly,  looking  neither  to  the  right  or  left,  his  face 
unmoved,  his  head  unbent,  apparently  neither  seeing 
or  hearing  anything  of  the  crowd  that  insults  him, 
or  of  his  wives,  who  weep  and  lament  over  him. 
The  same  morning,  when  the  head  of  Teumman  was 
placed  upon  his  breast,  the  executioner  pierced  the  lips 
or  nose  of  his  relations,  passed  a  ring  and  cord  through 
the  hole,  as  though  they  were  oxen,  and  gave  the  cords 
to  soldiers,  who  lead  the  prisoners.  Their  conductors 
violently  jerk  at  them  from  time  to  time,  but  so  skilfully 
that,  although  they  inflict  acute  pain,  they  do  not  tear 
one  fragment  of  flesh.  The  courage  of  the  unfor¬ 
tunate  men  never  fails  them :  like  their  chief,  they  are 
unmoved  during  the  long  hours  of  the  march  into  the 
city :  would  they  not  have  treated  Assurbanipal  and 


THE  TRIUMPH. 


3G7 


his  leaders  in  precisely  the  same  way,  if  fortune  had 
smiled  upon  them  and  they  had  captured  Nineveh  ? 
All  the  nations  of  the  world,  the  Egyptians  themselves, 
although  they  have  a  reputation  for  clemency,  delight 
in  torturing  their  prisoners  before  executing  them. 
Death  itself,  death  by  the  sword  or  the  club,  bv 
hanging,  drowning,  or  any  means  which  is  rapid  and 
almost  painless,  is  not  regarded  as  a  real  punishment : 
to  dispatch  a  man  with  a  single  blow,  so  that  he  does 
not  know  he  is  dying,  is  a  favour  rarely  granted. 
The  rebel  and  the  ordinary  criminal  have  no  right  to  so 
much  indulgence  ;  they  must  sutler  pain  to  the  very  end, 
and  invoke  death  frequently  before  it  releases  them. 

By  Assurbanipal’s  command,  Umbadara  and 
Nabodamiq  have  been  placed  upon  the  terrace  of  the 
palace,  where  they  watch 


the  march  past  with  sor¬ 
row  and  rage.  When 
they  see  the  head  of 
Teumman  upon  Dunanu’s 
neck,  their  despair  can- 


Fig.  182. — A  Prisoner  being  flayed 
alive. 


not  be  restrained.  Teum¬ 
man,  though  cruel  and  faithless  to  his  adversaries, 
was  a  good  and  generous  master.  Umbadara  tears  his 
beard  and  sobs  aloud.  Nabodamiq  draws  the  dagger 
left  in  his  belt  and  pierces  his  own  heart.  The  head 
of  Teumman  is  exposed  over  the  great  gate  of  Nineveh, 
and  all  who  enter  or  go  out  look  up  and  greet  it  with 
insults  or  curses.  Dunanu  is  flayed  alive  (Fig.  182), 
then  thrown  into  a  furnace,  which  consumes  him. 
Some  are  stoned  to  death,  others  have  their  eyes  put 
out  by  the  king  himself :  he  forces  them  to  kneel 
before  him,  raises  their  head  by  the  ring  passed 
through  their  lips,  then  puts  out  their  eyes  with  the 
point  of  his  javelin.  Sangunu  is  blinded,  then  chained 
between  two  wild  pigs  at  the  entrance  of  one  of  the 
city  gates,  where  he  is  exposed  to  the  insults  of  the 
passers-by,  and  fed  with  anything  their  pity  leads  them 


368 


THE  TRIUMPH. 


to  throw  to  him  like  a  dog.  Nabuzalli,  Palia,  and  many 
others,  after  being  tortured  at  Nineveh,  are  sent  to 
Arbela  to  be  saerified  to  Ishtar  and  die  before  her. 
They  are  flayed  alive,  their  bodies  are  cut  into  quarters, 
and  the  pieces  are  sent  to  the  various  provinces  to  show 
that  the  king  knows  how  to  punish  rebels.  Like  all 
Assyrian  triumphs,  that  of  Assurbanipal  ended  in  a 
long  butchery. 

After  the  procession,  the  day  is  passed  in  a  perfect 
frenzy  of  joy  by  the  whole  nation.  It  is  customary 
for  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  city,  slaves  and  freemen, 
to  eat  and  drink  at  the  king’s  expense  during  the 
festival ;  this  is  a  method  of  giving  them  a  share  of 
the  booty.  For  seven  days  the  palace  gates  are  open  to 
all  comers.  Many-coloured  stuffs  suspended  over  the 
walls  by  means  of  ropes  have  transformed  the  courts 
into  immense  banqueting-halls.  The  crowd  is  coming 
and  going  from  morning  till  night ;  the  people  instal 
themselves  upon  state  beds  or  seats,  and  ask  for  what¬ 
ever  they  like  ;  the  slaves  have  orders  to  give  them 
anything  they  wish  for,  and  to  bring  to  each  person 
whatever  he  desires  as  many  times  as  he  asks  for  it. 
W  omen  and  children  are  admitted  to  these  festivals  as 
well  as  men.  The  soldiers  kept  in  barracks  by  their 
duty  are  not  forgotten ;  the  king  sends  them  the  food 
and  wine  they  cannot  fetch  for  themselves  in  so  great 
profusion  that  they  have  nothing  to  regret.  The  loaves 
disappear  by  thousands,  by  thousands  also  the  oxen, 
sheep,  goats,  and  birds  of  all  kinds  are  sacrificed  to 
satisfy  the  public  appetite.  But  what  they  eat  is 
nothing  to  what  they  drink.  The  Assyrian  is  sober 
in  ordinary  life,  but  he  does  not  know  how  to  stop  if 
he  once  allows  himself  any  excess.  Wines  of  Assyria 
and  Chaldea,  wines  from  Elam,  wines  from  Syria  and 
Phoenicia,  wines  from  Egypt,  amphorae  and  skins  are 
emptied  as  soon  as  opened,  without  visibly  quenching 
the  universal  thirst.  After  one  or  two  days  no  brain 
is  strong  enough  to  resist  it,  and  Nineveh  presents  the 


THE  TRIUMPH. 


369 


extraordinary  spectacle  of  a  whole  city  in  different 
degrees  of  intoxication ;  when  the  festival  is  over, 
several  days  are  required  before  it  resumes  its  usual 
aspect.  This  would  be  the  time  for  a  resolute  enemy 
to  suddenly  attack  it,  when  the  disorder  is  at  its  height 
and  the  army,  like  the  people,  has  lost  all  conscious¬ 
ness.  Tradition  relates  that  more  than  one  powerful 
city  has  perished  in  this  way  during  a  festival,  having 
scarcely  any  strength  left  for  resistance.  Whilst  the 
people  are  becoming  tipsy  outside,  Assurbanipal  feasts 
the  leading  chiefs  and  the  ministers  of  state  within  the 


palace.  They  are  seated  upon  double  chairs,  two  on 
each  side  of  a  small  table,  face  to  face  (Fig.  183). 
The  chairs  are  high,  without  any  backs  or  footstool 
upon  which  the  guests  can  rest  either  elbows  or  feet  ; 
the  honour  of  dining  with  the  king  must  always  be 
paid  for  by  some  fatigue.  The  tables  are  covered  with 
fringed  cloths,  upon  which  the  dishes  are  placed  by 
the  slaves.  Unlike  the  common  people,  the  nobles  eat 
but  little,  so  that  few  dishes  of  meat  are  set  before  them, 
but  cakes  and  fruits  of  different  kinds,  grapes,  dates, 
apples,  pears,  and  figs  are  brought  in  continual  relays 
25 


370 


THE  TRIUMPH. 


by  long  lilies  of  slaves  (Figs.  184  and  185).  On  the 
other  hand,  they  drink  a  great  deal — with  more  refine¬ 
ment,  perhaps,  than  the  common  people,  but  with 
equal  avidity.  Upon  this  occasion  the.  king  has 
distributed  the  most  precious  vases  in  his  treasury, 
cups  of  gold  and  silver,  the  majority  of  them  moulded 
or  chased  in  the  form  of  a  lion’s  head.  Many  of  them 
were  formerly  sacred  vessels  which  the  priests  of 
vanquished  nations  used  in  their  sacrifices  ;  some  are 
from  Babylon  or  Carchemish,  some  were  taken  from 


Tyre  or  Memphis,  whilst  others  belonged  to  the 
temples  at  Samaria  and  Jerusalem.  By  using  them 
for  a  profane  occasion,  the  Assyrians  insult  the  gods 
to  whose  service  they  belong,  so  that  to  the  pleasure  of 
drinking  is  added  that  of  humiliating  the  foreign 
deities  in  the  sight  of  Assur  whom  they  had  resisted. 

The  wines,  even  the  most  delicate,  are  not  drunk  in 
their  natural  state ;  they  are  mixed  with  aromatics  and 
various  drugs,  which  give  them  a  delicious  flavour  and 
add  tenfold  to  their  strength.  This  operation  is  per- 


THE  TRIUMPH. 


371 


formed  in  the  hall,  under  the  eyes  of  the  revellers. 


Fig.  185. — Slaves  bringing  Wine,  Cakes,  and  Fiuit. 

An  eunuch  standing  before  a  table  pounds  in  a  stone 
mortar  the  intoxicating  substances,  which  he  moistens 


from  time  to  time  with  some  essence.  His  comrades 
have  poured  the  contents  of  the  amphorae  into  immense 


372 


THE  TRIUMPH. 


bowls  of  cbasecl  silver,  which  reach  to  their  chests. 
As  soon  as  the  perfumed  paste  is  ready  they  put  some 
of  it  into  each  bowl  and  carefully  dissolve  it.  The 
cup-bearers  bring  the  cups,  draw  out  the  wine,  and 
serve  the  guests  (Fig.  186).  Even  the  sentinels  at  the 
doors  receive  their  share,  and,  standing  spear  or  club 
in  hand,  pledge  each  other  as  they  mount  guard 
(Fig.  187).  The  only  persons  who  do  not  drink,  or 
who  drink  very  little,  through 
the  necessity  of  retaining  their 
sobriety,  are  the  eunuchs — who 
stand  behind  the  guests  to  fan 
them — the  servants,  and  the  mu¬ 
sicians.  Ao  festival  is  complete 
without  the  presence  of  singers, 
and  the  king’s  musicians  con¬ 
scientiously  perform  their  finest 
melodies.  Perhaps  some  one  lis¬ 
tened  to  them  at  the  beginning 
of  the  feast,  but  now  that  the 
great  silver  bowls  have  been 
filled  and  emptied  several  times, 
their  music  is  literally  wasted. 
They  may  sing  out  of  tune  or  remain  silent,  just  as 
they  please,  no  one  will  listen  or  care. 

Assurbanipal  presided  over  the  first  of  these  ban¬ 
quets  ;  he  has  deigned  to  drink  the  same  wine  which 
has  been  prepared  for  his  nobles,  then  he  retired  into 
the  harem,  in  order  to  pass  the  days  of  festival  there. 
The  women’s  house  opens  upon  one  of  those  gardens, 
planted  with  sycamores,  cypresses,  and  poplars,  in 
which  the  queens  of  Assyria,  condemned  by  their  rank 
to  strict  seclusion,  gratify  themselves  by  a  semblance 
of  the  country ;  fountains,  supplied  by  machines  which 
raise  the  waters  of  the  Ivhosr  to  the  top  of  the  mound, 
flow  beneath  the  trees.  The  queen,  who  also  wishes  to 
celebrate  the  Assyrian  victories,  has  begged  her  hus¬ 
band  to  dine  with  her,  and  he  has  graciously  accepted 


Fig.  187. — The  Sentinels, 
Cup  in  hand. 


THE  TRIUMPH. 


373 


an  invitation  which  made  her  tremble  as  she  gave  it. 
The  festival  couch  is  placed  beneath  the  shade  of  a 
trellis,  with  its  mattress  and  embroidered  coverings  ;  a 
small  table,  loaded  with  golden  dishes  and  cups,  is  placed 
near  the  head  of  the  couch  ;  then  opposite  the  table 
stands  the  high  chair  with  a  back  and  footstool,  upon 
which  the  queens  have  the  right  to  sit  in  the  presence 
of  their  lord  (Fig.  188).  The  king  reclines  upon  the 
couch,  accepts  a  cupful  of  perfumed  wine,  and,  raising 
his  eyes,  sees  facing  him  a  deformed  object  of  blackish 
tint  hanging  to  the  bough  of  a  tree.  It  is  the  head  of 


Fig.  188. — Assurbanipal  drinking -with  tie  Queen  in  the  Gardens  of 
the  Harem  ;  the  head  of  Teumman  is  hanging  to  one  of  the 
branches  of  the  second  tree  to  the  left. 


Teumman,  which  the  queen  has  sent  for  from  the  gate 
of  Nineveh,  and  which  she  has  hung  in  her  garden, 
so  that  Assurbanipal  should  look  at  it  during  the 
festival  and  rejoice  over  his  triumph.  lie  gazes  at  it 
ironically,  salutes  it  with  his  cup,  looks  again,  and 
cannot  satiate  himself  with  the  pleasure  of  gazing  at 
it ;  behind  him  the  musicians  of  the  harem  sing  his 
praises,  accompanying  themselves  with  their  harps. 

The  court  poet  has  placed  the  recital  of  the  hero’s 
life  and  exploits,  from  the  hour  of  his  birth  until  the 
day  of  his  triumph,  in  his  own  mouth.  ‘  In  the  midst 
of  joy  and  gaiety,  I  am  come  into  the  harem,  into 
the  splendid  hall,  the  sanctuary  of  royalty,  where 
Sennacherib,  the  father  of  the  father  of  my  father,  was 


374 


THE  TRIUMPH. 


formerly  son  of  a  king,  then  king;  where  Esarhaddon, 
my  father,  was  born,  grew  up,  and  reigned  as  lord  over 
Assyria ;  where  all  the  kings  were  born,  and  where 
their  families  have  grown  up,  sons  and  daughters ; 
where  I,  at  last — I,  Assurbanipal — I  was  nourished  in 
the  wisdom  of  Nebo  ;  where  I  learnt  the  knowledge  of 
all  that  has  been  written,  through  the  medium  of  all 
the  learned  men  ;  where  I  learnt  to  shoot  with  the 
bow,  to  ride,  to  drive  a  chariot,  to  handle  the  reins. 
By  the  command  of  the  great  gods,  whose  name  I  have 
always  invoked,  whose  praise  I  have  always  celebrated, 
who  ordained  me  to  exercise  the  dignity  of  king,  I  have 
devoted  all  my  care  to  the  enrichment  of  their  temples. 
This  is  why  they  have  overwhelmed  me  with  pros¬ 
perity,  and  have  placed  mine  enemies  beneath  my 
yoke.  I  am  a  strong  warrior,  beloved  of  Assur  and 
Ishtar,  the  child  of  royalty.  Since  Assur,  Sin  the 
moon-god,  Shamash  the  sun-god,  Ramraan,  Bel,  Nebo, 
Ishtar  of  Nineveh,  Ishtar  of  Arbela,  Adar,  Nergal,  and 
Nouskou  have  been  gracious  unto  me,  Ramman  has 
always  granted  fertilising  rains  to  me,  Hea  has  always 
opened  the  arcana  of  his  waters  ;  the  wheat  has  grown 
to  five  cubits,  and  its  ears  of  corn  are  always  one  cubit 
long;  during  my  reign,  abundance  has  overflowed; 
during  all  the  years  of  my  reign,  the  divine  blessing 
has  been  poured  out  upon  me  like  a  heavy  dew.  The 
gods  have  raised  me  higher  than  any  king  ever  ascended 
before  me.  Whilst  Assur  and  Ishtar  support  me,  who 
can  prevail  against  me  ?  My  power  is  everlastingly 
founded  by  their  hands,  the  duration  of  my  race  is 
established ;  they  shall  reign  for  many  days,  and  for 
everlasting  years.’ 

At  this  time,  Nahum,  the  Elkoshite,  the  prophet  of 
J udah,  had  a  vision  relating  to  Nineveh,  and  the  word 
of  the  Eternal  came  unto  him,  saying:  ‘Woe  to  the 
bloody  city  !  it  is  all  full  of  lies  and  rapine ;  the  prey 
departetli  not !  The  noise  of  the  whip,  and  the  noise 


THE  TRIUMPH. 


375 


of  the  rattling  of  wheels,  and  prancing  horses  and 
jumping  chariots;  the  horsemen  charging,  and  the 
flashing  sword  and  the  glittering  spear ;  and  a  multi¬ 
tude  of  slain,  and  a  great  heap  of  carcases ;  and  there 
is  no  end  of  their  corpses ;  they  stumble  upon  their 
corpses. 

‘  Behold,  I  am  against  thee,  saith  the  Lord  of 

Hosts . And  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  all  they 

that  look  upon  thee  shall  flee  from  thee,  and  say, 
“Nineveh  is  laid  waste;  who  will  bemoan  her?  Whence 
shall  I  seek  comforters  for  thee?” 

‘Art  thou  better  than  No-amen,  that  was  situate 
among  the  rivers,  that  had  the  waters  round  about  her; 
whose  rampart  was  the  sea,  and  her  wall  was  of  the 
sea?  Ethiopia  and  Egypt  were  her  strength,  and  it 
was  infinite ;  Put  and  Lubim  were  thy  helpers.  Yet 
was  she  carried  away,  she  went  into  captivity ;  her 
young  children  also  were  dashed  in  pieces  at  the  top  of 
all  the  streets,  and  they  cast  lots  for  her  honourable 
men,  and  all  her  great  men  were  hound  in  chains. 

‘  Thou  also  shalt  be  drunken,  thou  shaft  be  hid ; 
thou  also  shalt  seek  a  stronghold  because  of  the  enemy. 
All  thy  fortresses  shall  he  like  fig-trees  with  the  first- 
ripe  figs ;  if  they  be  shaken  they  fall  into  the  mouth 
of  the  eater.  Behold,  thy  people  in  the  midst  of  thee 
are  women ;  the  gates  of  thy  land  are  set  wide  open 
unto  thine  enemies ;  the  fire  hath  devoured  thy  bars. 

‘  Draw  thee  water  for  the  siege,  strengthen  thy 
fortresses;  go  into  the  clay  and  tread  the  mortar,  make 
strong  the  brick  kiln.  Then  shall  the  fire  devour  thee, 
the  sword  shall  cut  thee  off,  it  shall  devour  thee  like 
the  canker-worm.  Make  thyself  many  as  the  canker- 
worm,  make  thyself  many  as  the  locust.  Thou  hast 
multiplied  thy  merchants  above  the  stars  of  heaven. 
The  canker-worm  spoileth,  and  flietk  away. 

‘  Thy  crowned  are  as  the  locusts,  and  thy  marshals 
as  the  swarms  of  grasshoppers  wdiich  camp  in  the 
hedges  in  the  cold  day ;  but  when  the  sun  ariseth  they 


376 


THE  TRIUMPH. 


flee  away,  and  their  place  is  not  known  where  they  are. 
Thy  shepherds  slumber,  0  king  of  Assyria;  thy  worthies 
are  at  rest,  thy  people  are  scattered  upon  the  mountains, 
and  there  is  none  to  gather  them. 

‘  There  is  no  assuaging  of  thy  hurt ;  thy  wound  is 
grievous.  All  that  hear  the  bruit  of  thee  clap  the 
hands  over  thee  ;  for  upon  whom  hath  not  thy  wicked¬ 
ness  passed  continually?’ 


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YOUNG  IRELAND  :  A  FRAGMENT  OF  IRISH  HISTORY,  1840 
to  1850.  By  the  Hon.  Sir  Charles  Gavan  Duffy,  K.  C.  M.  G.  8vo. 
Cloth,  $3.00;  cheap  edition,  $1.50. 

“  Ably  written,  by  one  who  has  since  had  large  and  successful  experience  in 
the  British  colonies  in  the  South  Pacific.”— Dr.  C.  K.  Adams's  Manual  of  Ills 
torical  Literature. 


New  York:  D.  APPLETON  &  CO.,  1,  3,  &  5  Bond  Street. 


D.  APPLETON  &  CO.’S  PUBLICATIONS. 


COLONIAL  COURT-HOUSE, 
PHILADELPHIA,  1707. 


“This  work  marks  an  epoch  in  the  history-writing 
of  this  country.” — St.  Louis  Post-Dispatch. 


rHE  HOUSEHOLD  HIS¬ 
TORY  OF  THE  UNITED 
STA  TES  AND  ITS  PEOPLE . 
For  Young  Americans.  By  Ed¬ 
ward  Eggleston.  Richly  illus¬ 
trated  with  350  Drawings,  75  Maps, 
etc.  Square  8vo.  Cloth,  $2.50. 
FROM  THE  PREFACE. 


The  present  work  is  meant,  in  the  first  instance,  for  the  young—  not  alone 
for  boys  and  girls,  but  for  young  men  and  women  who  have  yet  to  make 
themselves  familiar  with  the  more  important  features  of  their  country’s 
history.  By  a  book  for  the  young  is  meant  one  in  which  the  author  studies  to 
make  his  statements  clear  and  explicit,  in  which  curious  and  picturesque  de¬ 
tails  are  inserted,  and  in  which  the  writer  does  not  neglect  such  anecdotes  as 
lend  the  charm  of  a  human  and  personal  interest  to  the  broader  facts  of  the 
nation’s  story.  That  history  is  often  tiresome  to  the  young  is  not  so  much 
the  fault  of  history  as  of  a  false  method  of  writing  by  which  one  contrives 
to  relate  events  without  sympathy  or  imagination,  without  narrative  connec¬ 
tion  or  animation.  The  attempt  to  master  vague  and  general  records  of 
kiln-dried  facts  is  certain  to  beget  in  the  ordinary  reader  a  repulsion  from 
the  study  of  history — one  of  the  very  most  impoitant  of  all  studies  for  its 
widening  influence  on  general  culture. 


“  Fills  a  decided  gap  which  has  existed  for 
the  past  twenty  years  in  American  historical 
literature.  The  work  is  admirably  planned 
and  executed,  and  will  at  once  take  its  place  as 
a  standard  record  of  the  life,  growth,  and  de¬ 
velopment  of  the  nation.  It  is  profusely  and 
beautifully  illustrated.” — Boston  Transcript. 

“The  book  in  its  new  dress  makes  a  much 
finer  appearance  than 
before,  and  will  be  wel¬ 
comed  by  older  readers 
as  gladly  as  its  predeces¬ 
sor  was  greeted  by  girls 

and  boys.  The  lavish  use  the  publishers  have  made  of  colored 
plates,  woodcuts,  and  photographic  reproductions,  gives  an  un¬ 
wonted  piquancy  to  the  printed  page,  catching  the  eye  as  surely 
as  the  text  engages  the  mind.” — New  York  Critic . 

,  “The  author  writes  history  as  a  story.  It  can  ’never  be 
less  than  that.  The  book  will  enlist  the  interest  of  young 
people,  enlighten  their  understanding,  and  by  the  glow  of  its 
statements  fix  the  great  events  of  the  country  firmly  in  the 
mind.” — San  Francisco  Bulletin. 


INDIAN’S  TRAP. 


New  York:  D.  APPLETON  &  CO.,  1,  3,  &  5  Bond  Street. 


D.  APPLETON  &  CO.’S  PUBLICATIONS. 


IT  IS  TOR  Y  OF  THE  PEOPLE 
ii  OF  THE  UNITED  STA  TES,  from 
the  Revolution  to  the  Civil  War.  By 
John  Bach  McMaster.  To  be  com¬ 
pleted  in  five  volumes.  Vols.  I,  II, 
and  III  now  ready.  8vo,  cloth,  gilt 
top,  $2.50  each. 

In  the  course  of  this  narrative  much  is  written 
of  wars,  conspiracies,  and  rebellions ;  of  Presi¬ 
dents,  of  Congresses,  of  embassies,  of  treaties, 
of  the  ambition  of  political  leaders,  and  of  the 
rise  of  great  parties  in  the  nation.  Yet  the  his¬ 
tory  of  the  people  is  the  chief  theme.  At  every 
stage  of  the  splendid  progress  which  separates  the 
America  of  Washington  and  Adams  from  the 
john  bach  mcmaster.  America  in  which  we  live,  it  has  been  the  au¬ 
thor's  purpose  to  describe  the  dress,  the  occupa¬ 
tions,  the  amusements,  the  literary  canons  of  the  times  ;  to  note  the  changes 
of  manners  and  morals ;  to  trace  the  growth  of  that  humane  spirit  which 
abolished  punishment  for  debt,  and  reformed  the  discipline  of  prisons  and 
of  jails  ;  to  recount  the  manifold  improvements  which,  in  a  thousand  ways, 
have  multiplied  the  conveniences  of  life  and  ministered  to  the  happiness  of 
our  race  ;  to  describe  the  rise  and  progress  of  that  long  series  of  mechanical 
inventions  and  discoveries  which  is  now  the  admiration  of  the  world,  and  our 
just  pride  and  boast  ;  to  tell  how,  under  the  ber.ign  influence  of  liberty  and 
peace,  there  sprang  up,  in  the  course  of  a  single  century,  a  prosperity  unpar¬ 
alleled  in  the  annals  of  human  affairs. 


“The  pledge  given  by  Mr.  McMaster,  that  ‘the  history  of  the  people  shall  be  the 
chief  theme,'  is  punctiliously  and  satisfactorily  fulfilled.  He  carries  out  his  promise  in 
a  complete,  vivid,  and  delightful  way.  We  should  add  that  the  literary  execution  of 
the  work  is  worthy  of  the  indefatigable  industry  and  unceasing  vigilance  with  which 
the  stores  of  historical  material  have  been  accumulated,  weighed,  and  sifted.  The 
cardinal  qualities  of  style,  lucidity,  animation,  and  energy,  are  everywhere  present. 
Seldom  indeed  has  a  book  in  which  matter  of  substantial  value  has  been  so  happily 
united  to  attractiveness  of  form  been  offered  by  an  American  author  to  his  fellow- 
citizens." — New  York  Sun. 

“To  recount  the  marvelous  progress  of  the  American  people,  to  describe  their  life, 
their  literature,  their  occupations,  their  amusements,  is  Mr.  McMaster's  object.  His 
theme  is  an  important  one,  and  we  congratulate  him  on  his  success.  It  has  rarely  been 
our  province  to  notice  a  book  with  so  many  excellences  and  so  few  defects.” — New  York 
Herald. 

“  Mr.  McMaster  at  once  shows  his  grasp  of  the  various  themes  and  his  special 
capacity  as  a  historian  of  the  people.  His  aim  is  high,  but  he  hits  the  mark.” — 
New  York  Journal  of  Commerce. 

“.  .  .  The  author’s  pages  abound,  too,  with  illustrations  of  the  best  kind  of  histori¬ 
cal  work,  that  of  unearthing  hidden  sources  of  information  and  employing  them,  not 
alter  the  modern  style  of  historical  writing,  in  a  mere  report,  but  with  the  true  artistic 
method,  in  a  well-digested  narrative.  ...  If  Mr.  McMaster  finishes  his  work  in  the 
spirit  and  with  the  thoroughness  and  skill  with  which  it  has  begun,  it  will  take  its  place 
among  the  classics  of  American  literature.” — Christian  Union. 


New  York  :  D.  APPLETON  &  CO.,  1,  3,  &  5  Bond  Street. 


THE 


Historical  Reference -Book, 

COMPRISING  I 

A  Chronological  Tabic  of  Universal  History ,  a  Chronological  Diction¬ 
ary  of  Universal  History,  a  Biographical  Dictionary. 

WITH  GEOGRAPHICAL  NOTES. 

FOR  THE  USE  OF  STUDENTS,  TEACHERS,  AND  READERS. 
By  LOUIS  HEILPRIN. 


New  edition.  Crown  8vo.  Half  leather,  $3.00. 


“  A  second  revised  edition  of  Mr.  Louis  Heilprin’s  ‘  Historical  Reference-Hook  ’  has 
just  appeared,  marking  the  well-earned  success  of  this  admirable  work— a  dictionary 
of  dates,  a  dictionary  of  events  (with  a  special  gazetteer  for  the  places  mentioned),  and 
a  concise  biographical  dictionary,  all  in  one,  and  all  in  the  highest  degree  trustworthy. 
Mr.  Heilprin’s  revision  is  as  thorough  as  his  original  work.  Any  one  can  test  it  by 
running  over  the  list  of  persons  deceased  since  this  manual  first  appeared.  Correc¬ 
tions,  too,  have  been  made,  as  we  can  testify  in  one  instance  at  least.” — New  York 
Evening  Post. 

“One  of  the  most  complete,  compact,  and  valuable  works  of  reference  yet  pro¬ 
duced.” —  Troy  Daily  Times. 

“  Unequaled  in  its  field.” — Boston  Courier. 

“A  small  library  in  itself.” — Chicago  Dial. 

“An  invaluable  bonk  of  reference,  useful  alike  to  the  student  and  the  general  reader. 
The  arrangement  could  scarcely  be  better  or  more  convenient.” — New  York  Herald. 

“The  conspectus  of  the  world’s  history  presented  in  the  first  part  of  the  book  is  as 
full  as  the  wisest  terseness  could  put  within  the  space."— Philadelphia  American. 

“  We  miss  hardly  anything  that  we  should  consider  desirable,  and  we  have  not  been 
able  to  detect  a  single  mistake  or  misprint.” — New  York  Nation. 

“So  far  as  we  have  tested  the  accuracy  of  the  present  work  we  have  found  it  with¬ 
out  flaw.” — Christian  Union. 

“  The  conspicuous  merits  of  the  work  are  condensation  and  accuracy.  These  points 
alone  should  suffice  to  give  the  ‘  Historical  Reference-Hook  '  a  place  in  every  public 
and  private  library.” — Boston  Beacon. 

“The  method  of  the  tabulation  is  admirable  for  ready  reference.” — New  York 
Home  Journal. 

“This  cyclopaedia  of  condensed  knowledge  is  a  work  that  will  speedily  become  a 
necessity  to  the  general  reader,  as  well  as  to  the  student.” — Detroit  Free  Press. 

“  For  clearness,  correctness,  and  the  readiness  with  which  the  reader  can  find  the 
information  of  which  he  is  in  search,  the  volume  is  far  in  advance  of  any  work  of  its 
kind  with  which  we  are  acquainted.” — Boston  Saturday  Evening  Gazette. 

“The  latest  dates  have  been  given.  The  geographical  notes  which  accompany 
the  historical  incidents  are  a  novel  addition,  and  exceedingly  helpful.  The  size  also 
commends  it.  making  it  convenient  for  constant  reference,  while  the  three  divisions 
and  careful  elimination  of  minor  and  uninteresting  incidents  make  it  much  easier  to 
find  dates  and  events  about  which  accuracy  is  necessary.  Sir  William  Hamilton  avers 
that  too  retentive  a  memory  tends  to  hinder  the  development  of  the  judgment  by  pre¬ 
senting  too  much  for  decision,  A  wrork  like  this  is  thus  better  than  memory,  It  is  a 
‘mental  larder’  which  needs  no  care,  and  whose  coutents  are  ever  available."  Hew 

York  University  Quarterly. 


New  York :  D.  APPLETON  &  CO..  1,  3,  &  5  Bond  Street. 


V 


